FipRLlN-SPENCEItSPALDING 


MAN  AND  BISHOP 


..;■.'."  ■',■■■  ■, 


Ctduntbia  aintoergttp 

intljeCitpoflrmgork 

THE  LIBRARIES 


0IPT  OB*   TK» 
JULITZER  PRIZE 

•WQIITTESI 


This 

book 

is    due 

trvo 

weeks 

from 

the 

last 

date 

stamped 
before  t'  - 

below, 

and    if 

not 

returns 

;d    or 

renewed 

il      he 

at   or 

^  '  v 

FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 
MAN  AND  BISHOP 


■*&v& 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK    •    BOSTON   •    CHICAGO  •    DALLAS 
ATLANTA   •    SAN    FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &   CO.,  Limited 

LONDON  -  BOMBAY  •  CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  Ltd. 

TORONTO 


FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 


FRANKLIN  SPENCER  SPALDING 


MAN  AND   BISHOP 


BY 

JOHN    HOWARD    MELISH 


r 

THE    IVIACMILLAN    COMPANY 

1 917 

^4//  rtgfiis  reset  "vd 


9*^4 


Gift 


&JCJyj^  Ok^  (U-v^^  ■ 


I  -  **-  /? 


Copyright,  1917, 
By  THE   MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 

Printed  from  type.     Published  May,  1917. 


•    > 
>  •  • 


» »  ■    » 


•     •        •  •     • 
.   ,  Jfotfooon  $resV 


•    •••„,   ,  j>)otu)ooB  ^resa 

S.«S.  CushipEtJ)'  i-"6drtyic£  &  Smith.  Q>. 

J    ISd,n?t)pd,''Mks•8.,•.l7•S.:A.■ 

•  *  •  * » « 


I* 


29  etj  teat  ion 

TO   THOSE   WHO    KNEW   HIM    BEST   AND 

LOVED   HIM,   AND   WITHOUT   WHOSE   AID   THIS   BOOK 

COULD   NOT   HAVE   BEEN   WRITTEN,    BY   ONE 

WHO   ADMIRED   AFAR   OFF 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 


PACE 


I.  The  Boy i 

II.  Frank  Spalding,  Princeton  '87        .        .        .        .12 

III.  The  Choice  of  a  Profession 29 

IV.  Theological  Student 35 

V.  Jarvis  Hall  Days 48 

VI.  The  Parish  House 57 

VII.  Spiritual  Growth 71 

VIII.  His  Approach  to  the  Social  Problem     .        .        ,82 

IX.  Called  to  Be  a  Bishop 97 

X.  The  Church  in  Utah 122 

XI.  Salt  Lake  City 148 

XII.  MORMONISM l6l 

XIII.  Begging  East  and  West 178 

XIV.  The  Church  in  the  Mining  Camp   ....  206 
XV.  The  Church  and  Socialism 236 

XVI.  Man  among  Men 257 

XVII.  Manoach 276 


vi  1 


FRANKLIN  SPENCER  SPALDING 

MAN    AND    BISHOP 


The  Boy 

Frank  Spalding  sprang  from  New  England  stock.  His 
father,  the  Bishop  of  Colorado,  was  one  of  the  virile  men 
whom  Maine  contributed  to  the  building  up  of  the  Great 
West.  The  Spalding  family  came  ,to  America  from  England 
in  1630,  and  played  an  honorable  part  in  King  Philip's  war, 
the  French  and  Indian  war,  and  the  Revolution.  John 
Franklin  Spalding,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  biography, 
was  born  at  Belgrade  in  1828,  and  graduated  from  Bowdoin 
College  in  1853  and  the  General  Seminary  in  1857.  After 
service  as  deacon  and  presbyter  in  New  England,  he  became 
rector  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  Erie,  in  1862.  In  the  house 
which  is  now  the  rectory  of  that  Pennsylvania  parish  he 
met  Lavinia  D.  Spencer,  an  ardent  and  devoted  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  It  was  love  at  first  sight,  and, 
not  many  months  later,  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  prominent 
trustees  of  the  Park  Presbyterian  Church  was  established  as 
head  of  the  Episcopal  rectory. 

Of  that  union  Frank  was  born  on  March  13,  1865.  At 
his  baptism,  June  13,  1865,  he  was  named  Franklin  after 
his  father  and  Spencer  after  the  family  of  his  mother. 
The  Spencers  were  originally  of  Connecticut.     Judah  Colt 


2  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

Spencer  went  to  Erie  in  1829,  and  there  married  Lavinia 
Stanley,  the  daughter  of  Giles  Sanford,  a  descendant  of 
John  Sanford,  the  first  President  of  Rhode  Island  in  1655, 
who  was  disarmed  in  1637  for  his  sympathy  with  Wheel- 
right.  Mr.  Spencer  was  noted  among  his  fellow  citizens 
as  a  man  of  independent  judgment,  quick  repartee  and  keen 
humor,  humility  and  generosity.  He  was  one  of  the  pro- 
jectors of  the  first  railway  in  western  Pennsylvania,  and 
organized  the  First  National  Bank  of  Erie,  which  was  one  of 
the  first  national  banks  incorporated  in  the  United  States. 
Lavinia  Sanford  united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  as  a 
girl,  and  through  three  score  years  and  nine  lived  a  life  of 
prayer  and  service.  Four  daughters  and  one  son  were 
born  to  the  Spencers,  of  whom  Lavinia  D.,  the  mother  of 
Frank  Spalding,  was  the  second  child. 

Into  the  Erie  rectory,  after  Frank,  came  four  other 
children  between  1866  and  1873  when  John  F.  Spalding 
was  elected  to  the  episcopate.  William  was  eighteen 
months  younger  than  Frank  and  was  his  comrade  all  through 
school  and  college.  Elisabeth,  who  was  Frank's  junior  by 
three  years,  lived  with  him  in  Erie  during  the  second  year 
,  of  his  rectorship  of  St.  Paul's.  Ned,  the  youngest  brother, 
died  at  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  was  a  student  at  the 
Princeton  preparatory  school  where  Frank  was  teaching. 
Sarah,  the  youngest  member  of  the  family,  lived  with  Frank 
during  the  last  years  of  his  rectorship  in  Erie  and  went  to 
Salt  Lake  as  his  secretary.  Under  the  spiritual  guidance  of 
Christian  parents  and  in  the  normal  family  life,  with  brothers 
and  sisters  near  his  own  age,  Frank  grew  to  boyhood  and 
young  manhood.  As  the  first  grandchild  of  generous 
grandparents  and  the  first  baby  born  in  the  parish  for 
many  years,  his  first  Christmas  brought  him  many  gifts. 
His  mother  trimmed  a  Christmas  tree  for  him  and  all 


THE    BOY  3 

expected,  after  the  fashion  of  grown-ups,  that  he  would  be 
delighted  with  his  expensive  toys.  While  others  were 
admiring  the  tree  and  presents,  the  baby  crept  from  the 
parlor  into  the  kitchen,  where  he  was  found,  perfectly  happy, 
playing  with  some  clothes-pins.  All  through  his  life  the 
simple  and  elemental  things  gripped  him. 

Frank  was  first  entered  at  a  small  private  school  in  Erie 
but  was  soon  transferred  to  the  public  schools.  In  his 
first  attempt  to  speak  in  public  he  failed.  Three  times 
he  began  his  piece,  but  stage  fright  got  the  better  of  memory 
and  he  finally  sat  down.  Very  early  in  his  career  he  showed 
signs  of  the  possession  of  the  indomitable  will  which  later 
conquered  the  Grand  Teton  and  faced  spiritual  difficulties 
of  magnitude.  One  night  when  he  was  supposed  to  be 
asleep  in  his  bed  his  mother  found  him  seated  at  his  little 
desk,  playing  on  a  Jew's  harp.  When  she  reproved  him 
for  sitting  up  so  late,  he  replied,  with  decisiveness  that 
drew  no  further  remonstrance  from  the  wise  mother,  "I 
am  going  to  get  this  tune,  if  it  takes  all  night."  So  fearless 
and  independent  a  little  chap  he  was,  that  his  reverent 
parents  feared  that  the  quality,  which  is  the  beginning  of 
all  wisdom,  was  entirely  wanting  in  his  spiritual  equip- 
ment. His  mother  was  mortified  to  hear  him  say  to  the 
dignified  Bishop  Kerfoot  who  was  teasing  him,  "Stop 
that."  On  another  occasion  when  she  asked  him  to  come 
and  speak  to  some  callers  who  were  about  to  leave,  he 
frankly  if  impolitely  called  back,  "I  have  nothing  to  say." 
But  she,  who  sat  at  the  feet  of  her  children  and  learned, 
as  the  Lord  commanded  His  disciples  to  do,  understood. 
For  what  has  a  child  to  say?  And  this  child  was  father 
to  the  man  who  spoke  when  he  had  something  to  say,  and, 
when  not,  kept  silent. 

It  was  the  custom  in  St.  Paul's,  encouraged  by  the  Rec- 


4  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

tor,  to  have  all  the  children  of  the  parish  attend  the  church 
service,  and  to  withdraw  just  before  the  sermon.  Sunday 
School  was  held  immediately  before  church  and  a  goodly 
percentage  of  the  scholars  stayed  to  Morning  Prayer.  The 
great  feasts  of  the  Church  Year  were  joyfully  kept  and  the 
children  found  no  hardship  in  going  to  church.  From  the 
time  he  could  read  Frank  was  taught  to  read  the  Bible 
morning  and  evening.  On  Sunday  evenings  there  were 
scripture  games,at  home,  which  made  the  boy  familiar  with 
the  Bible.  The  rectory  had  two  mite  boxes,  one  for 
Domestic  and  one  for  Foreign  Missions,  into  which  the 
children  dropped  weekly  offerings.  The  father,  who  was 
a  missionary  rector  before  he  became  a  missionary  bishop, 
wanted  his  boys  and  girls  to  feel  that  they  belonged  to 
a  Church  which  embraced  the  whole  world.  So  the  boy 
from  his  infancy  was  a  part  of  the  Church,  with  his  own 
share  in  its  worship  and  work.  His  interest  in  the  Church 
was  as  natural  and  normal  as  his  interest  in  play  or  school. 
A  time  came  when  Frank  Spalding  questioned  his  intel- 
lectual right  to  remain  longer  in  the  Church ;  and,  without 
doubt,  it  was  this  early  influence  that  steadied  his  will  in 
those  trying  moments  of  mental  uncertainty  and  indecision. 
Frank  was  eight  years  old  when  his  father  was  elected 
Missionary  Bishop  of  Colorado,  Wyoming  and  New  Mexico. 
In  school,  on  the  day  the  newspapers  announced  the  father's 
honor,  the  son  was  dubbed  "Bishop"  by  his  classmates. 
Such  a  title,  however,  was  no  honor  to  his  thinking,  and 
finally,  losing  patience,  he  threatened  to  fight  the  next 
fellow  that  called  him  that  again.  With  five  children,  the 
youngest  being  only  fourteen  months  old,  it  was  a  great 
change  for  Bishop  Spalding  to  make,  from  the  comfortable 
home  and  happy  associations  of  Erie  to  what  was  to  East- 
ern people  an  unknown  country.     At  the  Bishop's  conse- 


THE    BOY  5 

cration  in  St.  Paul's,  Erie,  on  the  last  day  of  December, 

1873,  Bishop  Cox  preached  from  the  text,  "The  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth."  So  indeed  it  seemed,  especially  to 
the  mother,  who  was  torn  between  accompanying  her  hus- 
band and  running  the  risk  of  taking  her  brood  of  small 
children  on  the  long  journey  in  winter.  She  asked  the 
friendly  advice  of  the  bishops  present  at  the  consecration. 
Bishop  John  C.  Talbot,  who  was  called  the  "Bishop  of  all 
out-doors,"  having  been  the  first  bishop  of  Colorado  and 
the  Northwest,  insisted  that  he  knew  all  about  the  journey 
and  the  good  Church  people  of  Denver,  and  that  they 
would  have  the  Bishop's  house  ready  for  occupancy  on  his 
arrival;  he  urged  the  family  to  go.  Bishop  Kerfoot,  on 
the  contrary,  advised  Spalding  to  go  first  to  prepare  the 
home  and  have  the  family  follow  later.  Bishop  Kerfoot 
said  that  Bishop  Talbot  knew  nothing  about  it  because  he 
had  never  had  any  children,  and  Bishop  Talbot  said  Bishop 
Kerfoot  knew  nothing  about  it  because  he  had  never  been 
to  Denver.  Bishop  Talbot's  advice,  however,  was  fol- 
lowed and  the  family  arrived  safely  in  Denver,  February  27, 

1874,  after  a  blockade  of  twenty-four  hours,  caused  by  snow 
on  the  plains.  The  good  Church  people  of  Denver  justified 
Bishop  Talbot's  faith  in  them ;  the  house  was  furnished 
and  supper  was  ready. 

On  the  train  to  Denver  Frank  wrote  to  his  grandmother 
a  little  letter,  which,  though  he  was  but  eight  years  old, 
showed  the  beginnings  of  his  power  of  clear  description. 
"February  26,  1874.  My  dear  Grandma:  Mama  told  me 
to  write  the  first  letter  to  you.  I  am  going  to  write  what 
I  saw.  Some  men  were  playing  cards.  One  man  beat  the 
other  and  they  began  to  fight  in  the  car.  It  is  snowing 
very  hard  now.  It  began  this  morning  and  has  not  stopped 
yet  and  I  guess  it  never  will.     Your  loving  Frank  Spalding." 


6  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

Jarvis  Hall  at  Golden  was  a  Church  School  for  boys,  and 
its  principal,  Mr.  Bellam,  urged  the  Bishop  to  send  his  boys, 
Frank  and  Will,  there.  In  a  letter  to  his  grandfather, 
Frank  wrote,  "Mr.  Bellam  is  here  and  wants  me  to  go  to 
Jarvis  Hall,  but  Mama  says  I  am  too  little.  Don't  you 
think,  Grandpa,  it  would  be  best  to  go  now  and  be  a  good 
scholar  than  not?"  The  Mother's  refusal  to  give  her 
permission  to  send  the  boys  when  so  young  to  a  boarding 
school  won  the  day,  and  they  went  first  to  a  small  private 
school  and  then  to  the  public  schools  of  Denver. 

The  Bishop  was  away  from  home  so  much  of  the  time 
that  the  care  and  education  of  the  children  fell  largely  to 
the  mother.  "I  have  one  high  strung  case  in  my  eldest 
boy,"  she  wrote  to  her  parents  in  March  of  that  year,  "and 
I  can  only  trust  to  time  and  to  Providence  to  make  him 
better.  Don't  be  alarmed,  he  is  no  worse  than  in  Erie. 
I  looked  for  a  great  change  on  his  ninth  birthday,  but  it 
did  not  come."  However  disturbed  the  mother  was,  be- 
cause of  Frank's  quick  temper  and  the  effect  of  it  on  the 
other  children,  she  wisely  met  the  difficulty  by  giving  him 
something  to  interest  him  and  serve  as  an  outlet  for  his 
physical  and  mental  energies.  A  small  printing  press  and 
scroll  saw  were  purchased,  and  tramps  were  planned  for  the 
Saturdays.  Frank  was  himself  so  full  of  ideas  and  of  init- 
iative that  he  at  once  put  these  tools  to  good  use,  earning 
money  to  add  to  his  kit  and  to  spend  on  his  tramps.  She 
also  hit  on  a  plan  which  worked  admirably  with  all  the 
children.  A  book  was  opened,  and  all  their  important 
deeds,  good  and  bad,  were  recorded  therein  for  the  perusal 
of  their  father,  on  his  return.  Writing  down  the  deed  in 
the  book  had  the  instantaneous  effect  of  stopping  their 
naughtiness.  With  something  to  do,  and  a  miniature  Day 
of  Judgment  calling  him  periodically  to  account,  the  boy 


THE   BOY  ,  7 

made  rapid  progress  in  the  control  of  his  quick  temper 
and  hewed  his  life  to  the  straight  line  of  duty  and  right. 

Tools  were  ever  a  source  of  delight  to  Frank  Spalding, 
both  as  boy  and  man.  His  first  scroll  saw  was  a  gift,  but 
he  was  expected  to  earn  the  tools  which  he  desired.  "I  am 
trying  to  earn  $4.00  to  pay  for  a  box  of  tools  and  I  have  only 
35  cts.  I  have  been  making  sacks  out  of  the  stuff  that  came 
on  our  furniture,"  he  wrote  to  his  grandfather,  offering 
doubtless  a  gentle  hint  to  that  generous  friend.  Grand- 
father was  quick  to  respond  with  a  present  for  tools.  "The 
saw,  hammer,  and  plane  were  $2.00,  the  chisel  cost  60  cts., 
rule  25  cts.,  brace  and  bits  $1.00,  augur  65  cts.,  screw 
driver  25  cts.,  mallet  25  cts."  So  he  reports  to  the  donor, 
in  the  methodical  fashion  with  which  he  kept  all  his  Church 
accounts  throughout  his  ministry.  In  another  letter  he 
refers  to  a  loan  which  his  grandfather  had  made,  as  "the 
heavy  debt  that  oppressed  me." 

The  public  school  boy  of  Denver  took  to  his  lessons  with 
as  much  interest  as  to  tools  and  tramps.  The  mother 
wrote  home  in  October,  "Frank  and  Willie  are  good  and 
learning  fast.  Frank  can  already  divide  with  four  or  five 
figures."  He  was  regularly  promoted  and  was  soon  study- 
ing Botany  as  well  as  Spelling,  Writing,  Arithmetic,  and 
Geography.  To  a  Mr.  Lakes,  an  enthusiastic  geologist, 
Frank  attached  himself,  and  followed  him  in  his  collecting 
jaunts,  learning  from  him  the  names  of  stones  and  picking 
up  information  as  to  drifts  and  periods  of  the  earth's  his- 
tory. He  was  now  in  a  school-room  with  older  boys  and 
had  little  difficulty  in  keeping  up  with  them.  His  was  one 
of  the  twenty  papers,  showing  penmanship,  which  the 
Denver  Public  Schools  sent  to  the  Centennial  in  1876. 
Frank  told  his  Grandfather  that  he  must  look  up  the  educa- 
tional exhibit,  during  his  visit  to  Philadelphia,  and  find  the 


J 


8  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

Denver  book  which  contained  his  paper.  His  mother 
wrote  that  "Frank  will  go  without  his  dinner  rather  than 
be  late."  As  a  boy  he  was  always  asking  why.  In  the 
evenings  the  father  had  all  the  children  debate  in  his  study, 
thinking  it  very  important  to  learn  how  to  argue.  Frank 
often  took  the  weak  side  of  a  question,  or  even  the  side  he 
really  did  not  agree  with,  in  order  to  draw  out  the  other  side. 

On  one  of  the  visits  to  Erie,  which  took  place  on  the 
alternate  summers,  the  boys  were  invited  out  to  tea  with 
a  boy  friend.  They  did  not  return  until  quite  late,  and 
Frank's  excuse  was  that  he  had  got  to  arguing  with  the  boy's 
father  and  did  not  think  of  the  time.  His  reading  was 
confined  to  stories,  in  spite  of  his  father's  urging  to  read 
better  things.  He  liked  Oliver  Optic,  Horatio  Alger,  Elijah 
Kellogg  and  Jules  Verne.  With  a  memory  of  those  early 
joys  he  presented  his  nephew  in  later  years  with  a  complete 
set  of  the  favorite  tales  of  his  own  boyhood. 

Every  alternate  vacation  was  spent  on  a  ranch  in  the 
mountains.  There  the  mother's  problem  was  solved,  for 
climbing,  riding,  fishing,  left  no  moments  for  idle  hands  to 
get  into  mischief.  An  incident  occurred  during  the  first 
vacation  which  showed  Frank's  obedience  to  orders,  at 
whatever  cost  to  himself,  which  trait  characterized  his 
entire  life.  A  little  boy  at  the  ranch  was  taken  sick  and 
his  mother  became  much  alarmed.  There  was  no  doctor 
nearer  than  twelve  miles,  but  at  the  ranch  was  the  wife  of 
a  physician ;  she  knew  that  her  husband  was  to  drive  that 
day  to  a  house  within  several  miles  of  the  ranch,  and  she 
suggested  that  some  one  go  to  the  cross  roads  and  intercept 
the  doctor.  Frank  was  sent  on  horseback  to  wait  for  the 
physician  until  he  came.  The  day  passed  and  no  Frank  or 
doctor  returned.  Finally,  Mrs.  Spalding  and  the  doctor's 
wife  went  out  to  hunt  for  them.     There  at  the  cross-roads 


THE   BOY  9 

he  was,  just  as  he  had  been  told  to  be,  seated  on  his  horse, 
and,  like  Casabianca,  there  he  would  have  stayed  to  the  end. 
One  of  his  favorite  mottoes  in  after  years  was,  "To  endure 
is  to  conquer,"  and  early  in  life  he  acted  it  out. 

In  1877  it  was  decided  to  send  the  boys  to  Jarvis  Hall, 
the  Church  boarding  school  at  Golden,  and  the  mother 
parted  from  them  with  a  heavy  heart.  The  absence  lasted, 
however,  but  a  few  months  as  Jarvis  Hall,  after  a  fire,  was 
transferred  to  Denver.  "Dear  Grandpa,"  writes  Frank, 
"we  are  going  to  school  at  the  new  Jarvis  Hall  in  Denver 
instead  of  Golden  and  the  Boss  is  Mr.  Haynes  instead  of 
Mr.  Bellam.  Mr.  Haynes  is  a  good  teacher  if  he  did  come 
from  Harvard  College  and  not  Princeton  College."  Frank 
was  busy  with  his  press,  and  printed  cards  and  letter  heads 
for  other  boys  and  girls.  A  sheet  of  note  paper  bears  the 
heading  "F.  S.  Spalding,  W.  M.  Spalding,  Job  Printing 
Very  Neatly  Done."  With  the  scroll  saw  he  made  several 
brackets  for  presents  to  his  grandparents  and  a  well-carved 
Swiss  clock  for  his  father  and  mother.  The  boys  had 
their  regular  chores  and  were  taught  to  be  useful  at  home, 
for  a  missionary  bishop's  salary  did  not  permit  of  more 
than  one  servant.  They  made  their  own  beds,  tended  the 
furnace  and  cleared  the  snow  from  the  walks.  One  winter 
morning  before  breakfast  Frank  went  out  to  clear  the  snow, 
but  did  not  return  until  long  after  school  time.  He  and  a 
friend  after  clearing  their  own  walks  formed  a  partnership 
to  clear  other  people's  side-walks  at  twenty  cents  apiece, 
and  made  a  dollar  each.  He  assured  his  anxious  mother 
on  his  return  that  he  had  not  asked  a  job  of  any  of  her 
friends !  Such  industry  on  his  part  pleased  the  grand- 
father in  the  East,  and  he  wrote  to  Frank,  "If  your  funds 
should  be  a  little  short  draw  on  your  grandfather  and  he 
will  honor  the  draft."     That  he  was  not  slow  to  comply 


IC  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

with  this  generous  request  the  following  note  shows.  "Dear 
Grandpa :  I  thank  you  very  much  for  that  $5.00.  As  my 
saw  is  broken  I  am  going  to  get  another  saw.  I  can  get 
an  elegant  saw  and  I  can  do  very  fine  work.  I  and  Will 
sing  in  the  choir  and  we  sing  good  as  you  will  know  when 
you  come  here  in  the  spring."  This  delightful  apprecia- 
tion of  his  own  accomplishments  and  his  joy  in  doing  things 
never  left  him.  Throughout  his  life,  though  burdened  with 
the  business  of  hospitals,  schools,  and  mission  stations,  he 
was  glad  that  he  had  a  work  to  do  and  rejoiced  that  he 
could  do  it.  Could  the  generous  donors  to  his  work  have 
seen  the  radiant  joy  in  his  face  when  their  help  arrived  it 
would  have  added  much  to  their  joy  of  giving. 

On  the  second  Sunday  after  Easter,  1879,  Frank  was 
confirmed  by  his  father  in  Trinity  Memorial  Church.  It  is 
interesting  to  record  that  the  boy  turned  to  his  teacher 
in  that  solemn  moment  of  his  life  rather  than  to  those 
whom  he  most  loved.  Many  boys  find  it  difficult  to  dis- 
cuss spiritual  problems  with  their  fathers  and  mothers, 
either  because  they  fancy  their  parents  are  prejudiced  in 
their  favor  or  do  not  understand  them.  The  mother,  with 
her  usual  intuition,  made  no  advances  beyond  suggestions, 
she  simply  prayed  for  him.  Frank  talked  the  question 
over  with  Mr.  Haynes,  and,  on  his  return  from  his  inter- 
view, simply  remarked  to  his  mother  that  "Confirmation 
is  a  big  thing."  The  next  morning  he  announced  at  the 
breakfast  table,  "I  am  going  to  be  confirmed."  At  four- 
teen he  took  his  stand  for  Christ  and  His  kingdom.  He  was 
found  faithful  unto  his  life's  end. 

The  summer  of  1880  was  spent  in  Erie,  and  Frank,  then 
fifteen  years  old,  took  his  first  interest  in  politics.  Several 
boys  of  his  own  age  formed  a  club  which  they  named  after 
President  Garfield.     The  meetings  were  secret  and  were 


THE   BOY  II 

held  in  an  outhouse  in  grandfather's  garden.  Little  Ned, 
not  being  old  enough  to  qualify  as  a  member,  was  appointed 
sentry  to  keep  outsiders  away.  Frank  was  President,  and, 
in  the  name  of  the  Club,  wrote  to  Mr.  Garfield.  He  said 
that  the  members  were  too  young  to  vote  for  the  President, 
but,  nevertheless,  "they  met  regularly  and  made  speeches 
against  the  Democrats."  Great  was  the  joy  and  pride  of 
the  Garfield  Club  when  a  letter  arrived  from  Mr.  Garfield 
containing  his  picture  and  autograph. 

It  is  the  picture  of  a  genuine  American  boy  that  we  see 
in  Frank  Spalding.  Long  of  limb,  with  sinewy  frame,  he 
lived  in  the  open  air ;  taking  to  the  water  and  the  mountains 
like  an  Indian,  like  an  Indian  he  grew  in  stature  and  physical 
strength.  Always  the  first  up  a  steep  climb,  he  yet  was 
ever  ready  to  help  others  up,  or  go  to  their  rescue  if  in 
danger  of  falling.  His  nerves  were  steady,  though  high 
strung,  and  he  was  their  master.  When  the  steam  launch 
with  its  pleasure  party  was  in  danger  on  Lake  Erie,  it  was 
his  coolness  and  pluck  that  inspired  confidence  in  girl  and 
boy.  Always  enthusiastic,  he  was  the  soul  of  the  company 
on  any  tramp,  propounding  queer  questions,  arguing,  com- 
posing rhymes  and  jingles.  Underneath  this  gay  and  happy 
nature  was  a  sense  of  duty  and  love  of  right  and  reverence 
for  God.  He  grew  in  self-knowledge  and  self-mastery  as 
he  grew  in  body  and  mind.  So  through  the  years  of  boy- 
hood God  was  fitting  him  to  be  the  spiritual  pioneer  and 
missionary  prophet.  As  in  his  early  mountain  climbing, 
so  in  his  later  preaching  he  was  to  go  first,  questioning  it 
may  be,  but  sure  of  his  footing,  as  far  as  he  got ;  with  a  spirit 
ready  to  help  others  to  his  high  level  and  to  share  with  them 
the  beauty  of  his  vision. 


II 

Frank  Spalding,  Princeton  '87 

Frank  Spalding  prepared  for  Princeton  College  at 
Jarvis  Hall  under  Professor  Smiley  and  entered  without  a 
condition  in  the  fall  of  1883.  The  question  of  higher 
education  for  her  boys  rested  heavily  upon  the  mother's 
mind,  for  the  Bishop's  salary  permitted  no  such  luxury, 
and  frequently  she  prayed  over  it.  Providence  answered 
her  prayer  in  a  letter  from  the  generous  grandfather  which 
brought  tears  to  her  eyes;  he  promised  to  meet  all  the 
expenses  for  both  his  grandsons  during  their  entire  college 
course.  In  expressing  her  profound  gratitude  Mrs.  Spald- 
ing wrote,  "I  can  only  hope  and  pray  that  they  may  be 
worthy  of  your  gift  and  that  you  may  see  your  reward  in 
their  usefulness."  It  was  an  investment  in  men,  the  golden 
returns  from  which  he  never  lived  to  see  but  which  have 
added  to  the  lasting  wealth  of  the  American  Church. 

The  boys  chose  Princeton  because  their  favorite  uncles 
were  Princeton  men.  Princeton  appealed  to  the  Bishop  and 
his  wife  by  virtue  of  its  religious  influence,  and  because  of 
the  personal  interest  in  Church  boys  taken  by  Dr.  Alfred 
Baker,  rector  of  Trinity  Church.  They  had  been  told 
that  Dr.  Coit  of  St.  Paul's  School,  Concord,  recommended 
Princeton  before  all  other  colleges  on  that  ground;  and 
what  influenced  the  mother  as  much  was  the  further  in- 
formation that  Mrs.  McCosh,  wife  of  the  President,  went 

12 


FRANK    SPALDING,    PRINCETON    '87  13 

to  see  the  boys  when  they  were  sick  and  sent  them  nice 
things  to  eat.  In  parting  from  his  boys  the  Bishop  urged 
them  not  to  allow  anything  to  prevent  their  attention  to 
their  religious  duties ;  he  wanted  them  to  be  ambitious  to 
take  high  rank  as  scholars,  and  to  do  well  in  everything ; 
but  first  of  all  he  would  have  them  be  young  Christian 
gentlemen.  In  their  rank  as  scholars  he  was  to  be  disap- 
pointed, for  they,  in  his  brother  Will's  words,  "stuck  in 
a  comfortable  position  about  the  middle  of  the  class." 
Christian  gentlemen,  however,  they  were  and  remained  all 
through  college,  for,  as  Frank  wrote  his  father,  at  the  end 
of  his  course,  "It  is  a  satisfaction  to  know  if  you  don't 
stand  high  you  have  been  honest  in  all  your  work." 

Since  his  grandfather  was  paying  all  the  expenses,  an 
opportunity  to  make  full  use  of  his  generosity  and  money 
was  opened  to  Frank.  His  grandmother  wrote  him  to 
get  everything  he  needed  and  not  to  delay  purchasing  new 
clothes  —  she  knew  well  that  Frank  didn't  care  a  bit  about 
what  he  had  on ;  —  that  clothes  were  the  last  things  he 
would  think  of.  When  he  was  a  boy  he  had  a  supreme 
contempt  for  anything  approaching  a  "dude."  So  with 
characteristic  humor  she  urged,  "Do  not  make  the  change 
from  old  to  new  clothes  too  perceptible!"  He  had  been 
brought  up  to  know  the  value  of  money  and  the  grand- 
father's confidence  was  not  misplaced.  In  later  life  Frank 
Spalding  arraigned  the  rich,  who  five  on  profits,  rent  and 
interest,  for  indulging  in  luxury  that  wasted  human  life 
and  energy.  With  the  opportunity  to  indulge  in  luxury,  he 
practiced  the  strictest  economy.  When  his  mother  un- 
packed his  wardrobe  the  following  June  she  found  that  he 
had  not  a  pair  of  trousers  that  were  not  mended.  In  a 
letter  he  says,  "I  did  a  job  of  patching  on  my  pants  that  I 
dare  any  of  you  to  equal  for  strength  and  general  excel- 


14  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

lence."  He  put  cloth  in  the  place  of  cane  in  the  seat  of  the 
chairs  in  his  room  because  cane  wore  out  his  trousers. 

Frank's  Presbyterian  grandmother  held  the  learned 
and  Christian  men  of  Princeton  in  great  reverence,  and 
urged  her  grandsons  to  make  use  of  every  opportunity  to 
hear  them  preach.  "It  is  an  important  part  of  your  col- 
lege education,  like  feeding  on  the  best  of  food.  I  am  glad 
my  boys  can  appreciate  it."  Frank  heard  every  preacher, 
as  his  beloved  grandmother  advised,  but  he  seems  not  to 
have  been  favorably  impressed,  except  by  Dr.  John  Hall, 
and  by  him,  "because  he  was  like  one  of  our  ministers, 
wore  clericals  and  talked  quietly."  The  St.  Paul's  Society, 
a  group  of  students  who  were  members  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  invited  distinguished  preachers  of  that  Communion 
to  preach  from  time  to  time  to  them.  All  these  he  heard 
with  interest,  writing  home  their  texts  or  a  summary  of 
their  sermons,  and  characterizing  them  in  some  interesting 
way.  Fr.  Maturin  was  magnificent,  he  was  so  clear; 
Fr.  Hall  was  interesting ;  Dr.  Dix  was  superb ;  Dr. 
Kimber  knew  what  he  was  talking  about;  Mr.  Studd 
"talked  for  fifty  minutes  and  you  could  have  heard  a 
pin  drop."  When  he  was  the  Managing  Editor  of  the 
Princetonian  he  wrote  that  Phillips  Brooks  was  the  first 
preacher  in  America.  "One  of  the  editors  told  me  that 
any  one  could  tell  by  that,  who  had  written  the  article. 
I  don't  know  as  I  ought  to  have  said  that  in  a  Princeton 
paper  when  all  here  think  Dr.  Paxton  or  Dr.  Patton  is  the 
best  preacher." 

In  February  of  each  year  a  day  was  set  apart  as  a  Day  of 
Prayer  for  Colleges,  and  in  Princeton  it  marked  the  begin- 
ning of  what  was  called  a  "religious  awakening."  Prayer 
meetings  were  held  twice  a  day,  and  in  each  of  the  entries 
of  the  college  buildings  there  were  special  meetings.     Frank 


FRANK    SPALDING,    PRINCETON    '87  1 5 

Spalding  questioned  the  value  of  those  meetings  all  through 
his  college  course  and  wrote  home  asking  for  advice  as  to 
what  attitude  he  should  take  toward  them.  "One  of  the 
fellows  told  me  he  had  been  to  the  prayer  meetings  to-day, 
and  he  thinks  we  are  very  wicked  because  we  don't  go  even 
to  the  class  prayer  meetings.  I  don't  think  it  is  my  duty 
to  go  and  yet  I  have  often  had  fellows  say  to  me,  'Here, 
you  are  a  Christian  and  yet  you  don't  go  to  these  meetings 
and  set  a  bad  example  to  many  and  keep  them  away  when 
they  ought  to  be  there.'  Now  I  want  advice  as  to  this 
prayer  meeting  business,  I  almost  wish  we  were  not  in  a 
college  with  such  a  good  religious  influence."  The  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  was  for  him  a  sufficient  expression  of  wor- 
ship and  prayer,  and  he  objected  to  what  he  described  as 
"the  prayer  meeting  style  of  delivery." 

To  the  Bishop,  depending  for  his  information  on  the 
letters  of  his  two  boys  and  the  columns  of  the  Princetonian, 
the  modern  college  seemed  to  exist  chiefly  for  the  purpose 
of  fostering  athletic  games.  In  college  athletics  Frank 
Spalding  rejoiced  as  a  giant  to  run  his  course.  He  made  the 
class  baseball  team,  playing  at  third  base.  Later  in  his 
college  career  he  was  captain  of  the  second  foot-ball  team, 
playing  full  back  and  half  back,  which  entitled  him  to  the 
coveted  cap,  and  he  played  on  the  Varsity  Team  in  several 
games.  "This  noon  I  played  on  the  scrub,"  he  writes  to 
an  old  school  friend,  "against  the  college  team  and  I  had 
to  play  against  the  strongest  rusher  in  college.  So  he  nearly 
killed  me.  But  I  had  lots  of  fun  and  hope  to  get  another 
chance  to  play."  During  his  college  course  he  won  about 
thirty  medals  in  athletics,  principally  in  standing  and  run- 
ning high  and  broad  jumps,  pole  vaults  and  hurdle  races. 
"We  had  lots  of  fun  Saturday  night,"  writes  the  younger 
brother.     "Twenty-seven  of  us  got  in  our  room  for  a  boxing 


1 6  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

match ;  that  is  not  a  regular  match  but  everybody  taking 
part  and  ending  up  with  two  good  boxers,  one  of  whom  has 
taken  prizes  for  it.  There  were  eight  or  nine  of  us  on  Frank's 
bed  when  down  it  went  with  a  crash.  Then  some  one  fell 
against  the  stove,  and  pulled  the  chimney  apart,  but  Frank 
with  his  accustomed  genius  put  it  together  and  the  affair 
closed  with  great  success." 

In  his  Sophomore  year  Frank  Spalding  was  suspended 
from  college.  According  to  the  traditions  of  Princeton,  in 
November  the  Freshmen  class  had  their  picture  taken  on 
the  steps  of  Witherspoon  Hall ;  and  also,  according  to  tra- 
dition, it  was  the  high  and  sacred  duty  of  the  Sophomore 
class  to  spoil  the  picture.  It  occurred  to  some  members  of 
the  class  of  '87  that  the  way  to  reveal  to  the  Freshies  their 
true  character  was  to  let  down  an  effigy  of  '88  just  when  the 
photographer  was  ready  to  snap  the  picture.  One  fellow 
furnished  a  pillow  case,  another  paint  and  a  third  the 
requisite  art,  and  soon  a  rag  baby  of  considerable  bulk 
was  ready  with  '88  conspicuously  painted  in  green  upon  its 
white  breast.  When  the  eyes  of  all  the  Freshmen  were 
turned  to  the  camera  man,  and  each  was  looking  his  hand- 
somest, there  silently  descended  from  a  window  above  the 
steps  of  Witherspoon  the  rag  baby  and  took  by  far  the  most 
prominent  place  in  the  picture.  The  photographer  stopped, 
and  the  Freshmen,  seeking  the  reason  for  the  delay,  looked 
up.  A  dozen  hands  made  a  grab  for  the  baby ;  which  was 
dexterously  pulled  up  out  of  their  reach.  Others  gathered 
stones  from  the  gravel  walk  and  hurled  them  through  the 
open  window  at  the  unseen  enemy.  At  that  critical  moment 
a  college  proctor  chanced  to  come  that  way  and,  seeing  the 
disturbance  was  caused  by  some  one  in  the  room  above 
the  steps,  he  shouted  orders  to  stop  it.  A  head  appeared 
at  the  window  followed  by  a  pitcher  of  water  which  was 


FRANK   SPALDING,   PRINCETON   '87  1 7 

emptied  upon  the  upturned  faces  of  the  Freshmen.     It  was 
Frank  Spalding  and  he  was  caught  in  the  very  act. 

The  Faculty  Committee  on  Discipline  called  a  meeting 
that  night  and  summoned  Frank  and  four  other  culprits  to 
appear  before  them.  Spalding  was  charged  with  being  the 
ringleader  and  was  given  an  opportunity  to  confess,  which 
he  did  most  ingenuously,  acknowledging  his  acts  but  dis- 
claiming any  intention  of  wrong  doing.  Then  Professor 
Packard,  the  chairman,  as  Frank  wrote  home,  "made  a 
speech  which  was  terrible  and  said  that  I  had  done  the  worst 
kind  of  a  thing  and  that  he  was  so  surprised  to  see  me  there 
and  lots  like  that."  All  five  were  suspended  until  further 
notice.  Four  were  sent  home  at  once  and  Frank,  because 
he  lived  in  the  West,  was  rusticated  in  Pennington,  eight 
miles  from  Princeton.  Suspended !  Professor  Packard, 
his  father's  old  friend,  had  rendered  the  verdict  and  told 
him  that  he  would  at  once  write  his  father.  It  was  a  de- 
pressed and  sad-faced  lad  who  packed  his  bag  and  took  the 
train  to  Pennington  the  next  morning.  How  would  his 
father  regard  this  disgrace?  What  would  mother  feel? 
The  grandparents,  who  sent  him  to  college,  what  would 
they  think?  And  Aunt  Fanny  who  believed  that  the 
Princeton  faculty  could  do  no  wrong,  and  Uncle  Will,  a 
Princeton  graduate,  how  would  they  take  this? 

The  following  letter  reveals,  what  was  characteristic 
of  Frank  Spalding,  his  fine  sensitiveness,  consideration  for 
others,  sense  of  justice,  transparent  frankness  and  desire 
to  do  what  was  right. 

Princeton,  Oct.  30,  1884. 

My  dear  Father:  I  suppose  when  you  get  this  letter  you 
will  have  received  Professor  Packard's  and  will  know  all  about 
it.  You  can't  feel  as  badly  as  I  do,  for  I  know  how  badly  you 
will  feel.     But  I  wish  very  much  you  could  be  here  to  see  what 


1 8  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

the  college  thinks  about  it.  All  the  fellows  in  all  the  classes 
think  that  we  are  unjustly  punished  and  they  are  trying  to  get 
our  sentence  repealed. 

Professor  Packard  read  me  the  letter  he  wrote  you  and  in  it 
he  said  I  was  a  ring-leader.  Now  that  was  not  true  for  I  did  not 
lead  at  all,  and  I  never  for  a  moment  thought  that  I  was  doing 
any  act  which  would  bring  dishonor  on  you  or  on  myself,  and 
now  I  can't  think  so.  However  it  is,  I  have  been  suspended  and 
know  it  is  a  terrible  disgrace,  although  I  never  thought  that  I 
was  doing  anything  wrong. 

While  I  am  away  I  will  go  on  studying  and  so  will  not  drop 
back  in  grade  for  I  shall  have  an  examination  on  it  when  I  come 
back.     Of  course  I  have  written  Grandfather  about  it. 

Professor  Murray  told  me  I  was  charged  with  ist,  Helping  to 
make  a  rag  baby  to  expose  to  the  Freshmen,  2nd,  Throwing  stones, 
3rd,  Pouring  out  some  water  on  them.  I  can't  see  how  this  is 
worthy  of  such  a  hard  punishment  as  I  have.  All  the  trouble 
lasted  about  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  so  please  don't  think  that 
it  was  a  big  row  I  was  in.  I  don't  know  for  how  long  a  time  I 
shall  be  suspended  but  I  hope  it  will  be  a  short  time.  I  sup- 
pose it  will  be  very  lonely  to  stay  in  a  town  for  perhaps  a  month 
where  I  don't  know  a  single  person,  but  I  expect  to  read  and 
study  a  good  deal  and  will  try  to  make  the  best  of  it. 

So,  dear  papa,  please  don't  think  too  hard  of  me  for  I  would 

not  have  done  such  a  thing  for  the  world  if  I  had  thought  for  a 

second  there  was  such  harm  in  it  as  in  the  eyes  of  the  Committee, 

for  I  am  sure  you  know  that  I  would  not  knowingly  do  anything 

that  would  dishonor  you  or  mama. 

Your  loving  son, 

F.   S.   Spalding. 

Frank  reached  Pennington  and  went  at  once  to  the 
Pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  whose  care  the  Com- 
mittee placed  him  during  bis  rustication.  The  letter  of 
commendation  read  that  the  Pastor  was  to  do  him  "what 
good  he  could."     Then  Frank,  before  settling  down,  walked 


FRANZ    SPALDING,    PRINCETON    '87  1 9 

around  the  town  in  which  he  expected  to  spend  a  month, 
to  see  what  sort  of  a  place  it  was.  He  discovered  that  the 
town  was  without  an  Episcopal  Church.  Suddenly  it 
flashed  over  him  what  was  behind  this  whole  affair.  He 
was  not  sent  to  Pennington  as  punishment;  the  Faculty 
aimed  to  convert  him  to  Presbyterianism  ! 

When  the  news  of  the  Committee's  drastic  action  reached 
the  students  there  was  a  general  feeling  of  indignation. 
The  Freshman  class  met  and  sent  a  committee  to  ask  the 
Faculty  to  take  no  notice  of  the  affair.  The  Sophomores 
sent  in  a  petition,  accompanied  with  such  expressions  and 
promises  in  asking  for  the  reinstatement  of  their  classmates, 
that  the  Faculty  felt  justified  in  accepting  it  and  restoring 
them  to  good  standing.  One  of  the  Seniors  sat  down  at 
once  and  wrote  to  his  father,  the  Bishop,  that  "the  Faculty 
in  stooping  to  notice  such  a  small  matter  has  in  the  eyes  of 
the  whole  college  compromised  its  dignity.  The  fellows 
universally  condemned  the  action  of  the  Faculty  as  unjust 
and  as  unworthy  of  the  Faculty  of  one  of  the  first  colleges 
of  the  Land."  That  very  night  the  Faculty  met  and  re- 
fused to  ratify  the  action  of  their  Committee  on  Discipline. 
The  next  day  Frank  was  recalled  by  telegraph  from  Pen- 
nington. 

The  letters  informing  the  family  of  Frank's  dismissal 
reached  Denver  and  Erie  and  were  immediately  answered 
before  the  news  of  his  reinstatement  arrived.  The  close 
relationship  between  the  boys  and  their  loved  ones  at  home, 
which  was  one  of  the  great  factors  in  the  making  of  their 
characters,  is  revealed  in  these  letters.  The  Bishop  wrote 
that  law  must  be  obeyed  otherwise  society  would  drift  into 
anarchy;  the  punishment  seemed  to  him  too  severe,  a 
reprimand  was  enough.  The  sun  went  out  of  the  Mother's 
sky  and  she  was  afraid  to  open  the  newspaper  lest  in  head- 


20  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

lines  she  would  read,  "  Frank  Spalding,  suspended."  She 
resorted  to  prayer  for  comfort,  and  examined  herself  to  see 
if  she  was  not  to  blame.  She  could  rejoice,  however,  that 
it  was  "fun  and  not  sin."  And  yet  "the  whole  idea  of 
bothering  the  Freshmen  because  they  are  only  what  you 
were  last  year  is  mean  and  fit  only  for  mischievous  boys 
and  not  for  young  gentlemen."  Uncle  Will,  with  some 
knowledge  of  college  ethics,  wrote  that  "Faculty  govern- 
ment is  despotic  any  way  and  pitch  into  you  fellows  with 
scarcely  a  reason.  The  cunning  dogs  were  boys  once  and 
I  presume  chuckle  among  themselves."  Grandfather  saw 
in  the  action  of  the  Faculty  evidence  that  "learned  and 
talented  men  may  lack  common  sense  and  forget  that  they 
had  been  boys."  Aunt  Fannie  in  spite  of  her  reverence 
for  Princeton  divines  resolved  to  take  "the  side  of  the  boys 
no  matter  what  happens."  His  grandmother  rejoiced  that 
Frank  had  told  the  story  and  wanted  him  to  tell  them 
"everything  good  or  bad  —  if  there  is  not  time  to  write 
telegraph  without  a  moment's  hesitation."  Uncle  Rob,  the 
comrade  and  counselor  of  his  boyhood,  knowing  something 
of  the  problem  of  college  discipline,  wrote,  "my  sympathies 
are  with  you  but  my  judgment  leans  towards  the  Faculty. 
But  send  the  rag  baby  out  here  and  we  will  hang  it  over  the 
fence  in  honor."  Aunt  Kitty  "would  have  arrested  the 
Freshmen  for  throwing  stones.  Stones  hurt  and  rag  babies 
and  water  don't." 

The  fact  that  Frank  Spalding,  of  all  fellows,  had  been 
caught  by  the  Faculty,  became  the  joke  of  the  season  among 
the  students  and  at  the  expense  of  the  college  authorities. 
For  in  the  secret  midnight  visitations  by  which  the  Sopho- 
mores sought  to  crush  the  spirit  of  the  Freshmen  he  would 
take  no  part.  Hazing,  in  which  there  is  always  a  distinc- 
tively bullying  element,  as  contrasted  with  the  rivalries  in 


FRANK   SPALDING,    PRINCETON   '87  21 

the  class  rushes  on  the  athletic  field,  was  abhorrent  to  him ; 
and  it  was  expressly  condemned  by  his  grandfather.  In  all 
that  concerned  the  healthy  rivalry  for  leadership  between 
the  classes  he  took  a  leading  part.  One  of  the  ancient  cus- 
toms of  Princeton  was  for  the  Sophomores  to  paint  green 
the  celebrated  cannon,  which  then  stood  in  the  center  of 
the  Campus,  in  mockery  of  the  Freshmen's  verdancy,  and  to 
defend  the  old  gun  from  any  Freshman  who  attempted  to 
rub  out  the  offensive  color.  "We  got  in  two  armies  and 
made  for  each  other.  They  ('88)  had  about  150  men  and 
we  had  about  50.  After  we  had  tried  to  go  through  each 
other's  lines  several  times  we  both  tried  to  take  possession 
of  the  cannon.  Now  we  had  just  finished  painting  it  green 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Freshmen  and  when  we  got  to  it  it 
was  an  ugly  thing  to  handle.  But  we  could  not  lose  the 
honor  of  the  class  for  such  a  small  thing  as  'fresh'  paint, 
so  three  or  four  of  us  hung  on  to  the  cannon.  I  got  all 
covered  with  paint  from  head  to  foot.  But  we  held  the 
cannon ! "  A  member  of  '88  writes,  "  We  Freshmen  claimed 
the  victory,  but  when  lapse  of  time  has  subdued  partizanship 
and  allowed  a  more  accurate  historical  judgment,  it  must  be 
recorded  that  we  never  succeeded  in  dislodging  Frank  Spald- 
ing from  the  cannon.  He  had  clasped  it  in  his  long  wiry 
arms  with  a  grip  of  steel  and  held  to  it  through  all  the 
smother  of  the  rush  till  the  end." 

Frank  Spalding  attended  Trinity  Church,  Princeton,  all 
through  his  college  course  and  took  an  active  interest  in  its 
work.  The  rector  of  the  parish,  Rev.  Alfred  B.  Baker, 
had  the  power  of  interesting  young  men  in  practical  work. 
He  had  established  missions  in  outlying  places  around 
Princeton  which  he  supplied  with  lay  readers,  drawn  from 
the  St.  Paul's  Society  of  the  College.  Frank  sang  in  the 
choir,  taught  in  the  Sunday  School  and  read  the  service  in 


22  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

one  of  the  missions  on  Sunday  afternoon  or  evening.  As 
a  teacher  of  a  Sunday  school  class  he  was  not  a  success. 
"I  don't  believe  it  pays  for  me  to  teach  in  Sunday  School 
for  I  can't  keep  the  boys  in  order.  They  know  I'm  not  a 
senior  and  so  they  don't  care  a  bit  for  me,  for  they  know  I 
don't  know  much.  About  a  dozen  of  them  threw  snow 
balls  at  me  and  hit  me  too.  What  was  I  to  do  about  it? 
I  don't  care  a  bit  but  the  thing  don't  look  right."  The 
superintendent  had  given  him  a  class  of  unruly  boys,  and 
with  only  the  aid  of  a  lesson  paper,  he  was  expected  to 
teach  the  collect,  the  catechism  and  a  text.  It  demanded 
too  much  of  even  a  future  bishop.  Later  he  wrote,  "I 
have  stopped  teaching  in  Sunday  School  because  I  had  to, 
because  the  superintendent  told  me  my  services  were  not 
needed  any  longer.  I  am  rather  glad  of  it  although  I  got 
along  better  than  I  did  last  year. 

The  father  urged  his  boys  to  write  to  him  fully  and  espe- 
cially to  ask  any  theological  questions.  The  questions  which 
Frank  put  to  his  father  related  to  the  Episcopal  Church 
in  its  contention  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  or  to  some  of 
its  practices  and  teachings.  "It  seems  to  me  that  the 
Presbyterians  here  have  no  idea  what  our  Church  is  like. 
They  think  that  in  the  Episcopal  Church  on  Palm  Sunday 
everybody  has  palm  branches  in  their  hands.  One  of  them 
who  went  to  church  with  me  wanted  to  know  where  the 
confessional  was  where  the  people  went  and  confessed. 
Another  thought  the  Bible  we  use  is  different  from  theirs. 
...  A  fellow  said  that  our  Church  did  not  exist  before 
the  Church  of  Rome  sent  Augustine  into  England  and  that 
our  Church  was  not  an  Apostolic  Church  but  just  a  branch 
of  the  Church  of  Rome."  Frank  purchased  a  copy  of 
Bishop  Kip's  "  Double  Witness,"  and  with  it  and  the  in- 
formation which  his  father  sent  to  him,  he  championed  the 


FRANK   SPALDING,    PRINCETON    '87  23 

Episcopal  Church  in  the  stronghold  of  Presbyterianism. 
"  I  have  gotten  a  Presbyterian  to  reading  Kip  and  I  hope  it 
will  teach  him  something.  For  he  got  to  arguing  with  me 
the  other  night  about  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  he 
didn't  know  anything  about  our  Church.  So  I  argued  with 
him  and  I  guess  got  the  best  of  him  and  then  gave  him  Kip 
to  read."  During  Lent  he  decided  to  deny  himself  dessert 
at  the  boarding  house  where  he  paid  a  fixed  price  per  week. 
"You  say  that  fasting  in  Lent  when  you  can't  give  the 
amount  saved  to  the  Lord  is  only  asceticism,  but  what  if 
it  is?  I  thought  a  little  asceticism  during  forty  days  of 
the  year  would  do  a  person  a  little  good.  For  the  life  of 
me  I  can't  see  why  you  should  estimate  the  amount  of  self- 
sacrifice  in  terms  of  dollars  and  cents.  I  am  not  going  to 
eat  any  more  dessert  until  I  see  I  am  wrong.  If  I  deny 
myself,  conquer  my  appetites,  I  don't  see  why  I  should 
not  be  doing  right  even  though  I  can't  give  the  money  value 
of  what  is  thus  saved." 

Doubtless  the  Bishop  thought  that  this  inquisitive  mind 
of  Frank,  ever  seeking  the  reason  for  a  thing,  would,  in 
college,  experience  searching  intellectual  doubt  and  perhaps 
skepticism.  The  professors  of  Princeton,  however,  took 
note  of  the  skepticism  of  their  age  only  to  belittle  and 
demolish  it.  "I  read  to-day  a  solid  book  I  can  tell  you. 
It  was  '  Creation '  by  Dr.  Guyot,  the  Professor  of  Geology 
here.  It  is  to  show  that  all  the  modern  scientific  discoveries 
do  not  contradict  the  first  two  chapters  of  the  Bible.  I  like 
the  book  very  much  and  could  understand  all  but  one 
place,  where  he  talks  about  the  light  there  was  before  the 
sun  was  created.  He  says  we  must  take  the  Bible  as  truth 
and  the  discoveries  will  be  a  running  commentary  explain- 
ing it."  Again  he  wrote  to  the  Bishop,  "There  is  a  fellow 
here  who  has  been  reading  Gibbon,  Hume  and  especially 


24  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

Froude,  and  has  got  to  be  a  kind  of  skeptic,  for  he  don't 
believe  in  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible  or  at  least  that  is 
about  the  matter  as  near  as  I  can  make  out,  for  he  says  that 
you  can't  prove  the  resurrection  happened  or  even  that 
Christ  died,  but  he  is  not  at  all  strong  in  his  views  and  said 
that  he  would  like  to  read  on  the  other  side.  You  see  he 
has  only  read  the  wrong  side.  He  never  has  read  the  Bible 
through  he  says.  Now  what  is  the  best  book  to  read  about 
this?  I  would  like  to  read  something  too  on  it  so  that  I 
can  answer  this  kind  of  statements."  Frank  Spalding  was 
on  the  defensive  in  matters  of  religious  faith  during  his 
college  course,  an  attitude  that  is  not  conducive  to  critical 
examination  of  one's  own  position. 

The  Princeton  of  the  eighties  was  calculated  to  drill 
boys  in  acquiring  knowledge  rather  than  to  open  their 
minds  and  to  inspire  them  to  think.  History  was  not 
taught  from  the  point  of  view  of  development  nor  was  evo- 
lution accepted  in  any  department  of  science.  In  phi- 
losophy the  great  Germans  were  not  known  and  the  teaching 
consisted  chiefly  of  logic  and  metaphysics.  The  basis  of 
the  required  curriculum  was  Latin  and  Greek  for  four 
years.  The  boy  with  a  quick  memory  and  who  was  will- 
ing to  learn  his  lesson  with  a  mechanical  accuracy  was  too 
often  the  boy  who  won  academic  honor.  Frank  Spalding's 
mind  was  analytical  rather  than  acquisitive,  and,  though 
he  worked  hard,  he  did  not  attain  high  rank  because  of  the 
methods  of  his  day.  Not  only  were  the  methods  at  fault, 
but  there  was  then  a  great  gulf  between  teachers  and  stu- 
dent. If  a  boy  sought  to  establish  a  more  human  relation- 
ship between  himself  and  his  instructor,  he  was  at  once 
downed  by  his  classmates  as  a  "  boot-licker " ;  as  one  who 
sought  by  truckling  to  gain  some  unfair  advantage  over  his 
fellow  students.     To  one  of  Frank's  sense  of  honor  and  love 


FRANK   SPALDING,   PRINCETON   '87  25 

of  fair  play  to  be  regarded  as  a  boot-licker  would  be 
equivalent  to  having  committed  the  unpardonable  sin. 
His  most  characteristic  virtue  as  a  boy  and  college  man 
thus  stood  in  the  way  of  obtaining  that  personal  help  from 
his  teachers  which  his  mental  needs  especially  required, 
had  they  been  able  to  give  it. 

What  Frank  Spalding  failed  to  get  through  the  curric- 
ulum he  received  outside  of  it.  The  dominant  educative 
factors  in  the  Princeton  of  that  day  were  the  class,  the  Halls 
and  the  college  papers.  The  Halls  had  reached  the  climax 
of  their  power  before  the  Spaldings  entered  college  and 
were  beginning  to  wane,  while  the  papers  were  in  the  earlier 
stage  of  their  development.  The  rivalry  between  the  Halls 
was  intense.  "Old  Jimmy  (President  McCosh)  met  another 
fellow  and  me,"  writes  Frank  in  his  Freshman  year,  "we 
asked  him  if  he  was  a  Whig.  He  said,  'Yes,  indeed  I  will 
fight  Clio  any  day.'"  The  Halls  were  rival  debating  so- 
cieties which  met  weekly  for  discussion  of  subjects.  Every 
member  was  required  to  take  part  in  the  program,  being 
assigned  statedly  on  the  affirmative  or  negative  of  the 
questions,  and  allowed  at  other  times  to  speak  from  the 
floor.  Uncle  Will  advised  his  nephews  to  attend  faithfully 
to  Whig  Hall,  as  in  his  experience  "it  was  worth  as  much  as 
the  studies,"  and  both  Frank  and  Will  followed  his  advice. 
"Last  night,"  wrote  Will,  "Frank  did  himself  proud,  he 
made  a  rousing  speech  which  was  vociferously  applauded." 

The  activity  and  interest  of  these  college  debating  so- 
cieties reached  their  climax  in  the  Lynde  Prize  Debate 
held  during  Commencement  week.  Seniors  qualified  for 
the  great  event  in  preliminary  debates.  In  his  Junior 
year  Frank  entered  the  prize  debate  in  Whig  Hall  and  re- 
ceived honorable  mention.  On  another  occasion  he  memo- 
rized his  speech  and  then  in  the  midst  of  it  forgot  it. 


26  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

"If  I  am  a  minister,"  he  wrote  home  in  describing  his  fail- 
ure, "I  am  going  to  learn  to  preach  extempore."  So  when 
the  lists  were  opened  for  the  great  intellectual  trial  of  college 
life  Frank  entered.  He  did  not  think  his  chances  were  good 
but  he  knew  the  practice  would  be.  The  subject  of  the 
preliminary  debate  was,  Resolved,  that  "The  existence 
and  power  of  the  great  corporations  render  government 
interference  for  the  protection  of  the  laboring  classes  neces- 
sary." He  was  assigned  the  opposition,  which  was  the  side 
he  wanted,  and  he  threw  himself  into  its  work  of  prepara- 
tion, reading  books  in  political  economy,  law  and  history. 
In  the  contest  he  won  easily  and  so  became  a  contestant 
for  the  Lynde  Prize.  "I  am  very  happy  about  getting  on 
the  Lynde  Debate,"  he  wrote  his  mother,  "for  I  wanted 
something  on  Commencement  for  your  sake  and  now  I  have 
got  what  lots  of  the  fellows  think  is  the  biggest  honor  of 
all."  Three  prizes  of  money,  one  hundred  and  fifty,  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  and  one  hundred  dollars  were 
offered.  In  the  great  debate,  the  academic  distinction 
most  coveted  by  really  able  men  of  the  college,  Frank 
Spalding  was  able  with  ease  to  carry  off  the  first  prize. 

Class  life  and  class  politics  had  their  part  in  molding  the 
mind  of  Frank  Spalding.  Two  kinds  of  boys  are  attracted 
by  class  politics.  There  is  the  boy  whose  interests  lie  in 
petty  intrigue  and  whose  aim  is  personal  aggrandizement ; 
and  there  is  the  boy  who  is  the  born  leader  and  enters  into 
class  politics  as  he  does  into  an  athletic  game,  for  the  honor 
of  the  class  and  the  college.  He  wrote  home,  "Don't 
worry  about  the  jumping  as  there  is  no  danger  of  my  hurt- 
ing myself  or  of  getting  a  prize.  But  I  go  in  only  because 
the  class  of  '87  must  be  represented."  In  a  letter  asking 
permission  of  his  mother  to  play  away  from  Princeton, 
again  he  writes,  "We  must  beat  Yale  and  it  is  a  matter  of 


FRANK   SPALDING,   PRINCETON    '87  27 

college  honor  that  every  man  help  along  towards  that 
result  to  the  best  of  his  ability  if  he  can  do  it  without  slight- 
ing more  important  duties,  e.g.  studies."  Such  was  his 
fine  motive  in  class  politics.  His  first  great  honor  from  the 
viewpoint  of  the  students,  the  treasurership  of  the  Prince- 
ton College  Baseball  Association,  came  to  him  unsought  and 
unexpected.  The  Ivy  Club  wanted  it  for  one  of  its  members 
and  so  put  up  two  candidates.  The  other  members  of  the 
class,  resenting  such  methods,  put  up  the  name  of  Frank 
Spalding,  who  was  not  present  and  without  consulting  him, 
and  elected  him  on  the  first  ballot.  "Being  elected  in  the 
way  I  was,"  he  writes,  "everybody  seems  to  think  it  is  a 
pretty  big  honor,  the  finest  office  in  college,  and  I  am 
tickled  to  death  about  it."  After  outlining  the  duties  and 
speaking  of  the  trips  to  Amherst,  Brown,  Harvard  and  Yale 
which  he  would  take  with  the  team,  he  says,  "Of  course  I 
resign  the  Athletic  Association  as  I  do  not  think  it  is  right 
to  hold  two  offices."  In  his  Senior  year  when  he  aimed  for 
the  Lynde  Prize  he  reluctantly  resigned  this  high  office  in 
order  to  give  his  whole  attention  to  the  work  he  had  in 
hand.  Such  was  the  youth  of  twenty-one,  a  man  who  did 
one  thing  at  a  time,  and  did  it  with  all  his  strength. 

The  college  papers  were  in  the  beginning  of  their  career 
when  Frank  Spalding  was  in  college.  The  Princetonian 
came  out  three  times  a  week.  It  was  edited  by  a  board 
of  students  who  in  their  Junior  year  won  the  position  by 
the  quality  and  quantity  of  their  contributions  to  its  col- 
umns. Of  the  Princetonian  Board  Frank  was  elected  a 
member  in  December,  1885,  and  served  until  graduation. 
His  early  experience  as  a  boy  printer  was  of  great  help  to 
him  and  at  once  he  was  assigned  the  job  of  making  up  the 
paper.  Book  reviews  were  his  first  editorial  assignment,  and 
we  find  him  reviewing  such  books  as  Lotze's  "  Psychology." 


28  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

In  his  Senior  year  he  wrote  editorials.  In  these  three  extra 
curriculum  spheres  came  just  the  opportunities  which  de- 
veloped his  own  peculiar  gifts.  He  threw  himself  heart  and 
soul  into  them,  and  many  times  he  has  said,  in  spite  of  his 
lament  over  the  purely  academic  deficiencies  of  his  college 
course  and  the  injury  that  had  been  done  him  by  the  edu- 
cational methods  then  in  vogue,  that  his  four  years  in 
Princeton  were  the  happiest  years  of  his  life. 

Frank  Spalding's  college  career  was  marked  by  the  same 
qualities,  though  now  more  matured,  that  characterized 
his  boyhood.  He  did  not  enter  one  of  the  leading  eastern 
colleges  with  the  prestige  of  a  big  preparatory  school  be- 
hind him,  that  gives  to  some  boys  an  initial  advantage  over 
their  classmates.  Neither  did  he  have  the  glamour  of  wealth 
to  secure  to  him  an  adventitious  superiority.  But  the  gift 
of  leadership  was  his,  a  leadership  that  was  based  essentially 
on  moral  qualities,  the  willingness  to  take  hard  knocks  or 
back  seats  for  the  good  of  a  cause,  the  downright  honesty  and 
high  sense  of  honor  which  commands  instant  respect  and 
confidence,  the  genial  humor  that  establishes  a  relation- 
ship of  good  fellowship  with  all  with  whom  he  came  into 
contact,  and  withal  a  virile  Christianity  which  has  the  ideal- 
ism in  it  that  appealed  to  a  normal  boy.  Frank  entered 
college  clean,  true  and  strong  and  left  it  the  best  known  and 
best  loved  man  in  his  class.  College  nicknames  often  sum 
up  the  judgment  of  a  college  upon  a  man  with  surprising 
accuracy ;  Spalding  was  known  to  his  own  class  and  to  all 
the  lower  classes  as  "Old  Pop,"  which  was  an  abbreviation 
for  Old  Popularity.  This  title,  honestly  won  and  gladly 
given,  was  a  greater  honor  than  any  merely  academic 
distinction. 


Ill 

The  Choice  of  a  Profession 

Frank  Spalding  graduated  from  college  without  reach- 
ing a  decision  in  regard  to  his  future  profession.  Henry 
Ward  Beecher  once  said  that  he  entered  the  ministry 
because  his  father  ordered  him  to.  No  such  pressure 
was  brought  to  bear  upon  Spalding.  "We  do  not  want  to 
influence  you  at  all,"  wrote  the  Bishop  to  his  boy.  "Make 
your  own  choice,  consulting  us  of  course  when  the  time 
comes."  In  his  Senior  year,  when  Princeton  allowed  a 
choice  of  studies,  the  question  of  their  future  callings  was 
forced  upon  the  students,  and  they  elected  courses  with 
that  in  view.  Spalding  elected  pedagogy,  with  the  thought 
that  he  might  become  a  teacher,  and  international  and 
constitutional  law  with  a  view  to  entering  the  legal  pro- 
fession. The  Law,  especially,  appealed  strongly  to  him, 
and  he  got  the  impression  from  his  father's  letters  that  the 
Bishop  would  like  to  have  him  become  a  lawyer.  Chief 
Justice  Fuller,  a  friend  and  classmate  of  the  Bishop,  was 
held  up  to  Frank  as  an  example,  worthy  of  his  imitation, 
of  an  able  lawyer  and  an  earnest  Christian  layman. 

It  was  the  desire  of  Frank's  mother  that  he  follow  the 
profession  of  his  father.  And  that  strong  and  gracious  influ- 
ence, which  all  through  his  early  years  had  gently  led  him, 
now  really  determined  his  future  career.  To  her  letters  in 
which  she  spoke  of  her  hopes  and  prayers  that  he  might  see 
his  way  clear  to  entering  the  ministry,  Frank  replied,  dur- 

29 


30  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

ing  his  Senior  year,  "If  I  could  feel  that  I  should  succeed  as 
a  minister  and  was  really  called  I  don't  think  I  would  hesi- 
tate." Her  answer  to  this  letter,  so  illustrative  of  the 
tactful  and  wise  way  she  had  with  her  strong-minded  son, 
was  to  the  effect  that  his  willingness  to  enter  the  ministry 
was  a  proof  of  a  call,  and  as  for  success  no  one  could  be 
sure  of  that  until  he  tried. 

There  was  in  his  mind,  however,  an  objection  to  the 
ministry  as  a  profession  which  the  arguments  of  his  mother 
were  unable  to  remove.  "I  can't  get  over  the  feeling 
about  being  supported  on  other  people's  money.  I  have 
hated  the  idea  since  I  put  on  the  first  pair  of  missionary 
box  pants.  In  the  same  way  the  whole  life  of  the  clergy- 
man is  not  independent  somehow.  But  perhaps  I  am  all 
wrong.  Still  if  I  am  really  called  to  the  ministry  perhaps 
I  ought  not  to  feel  that  way."  The  great  contribution 
which  Frank  Spalding  has  made  to  the  Church  is  the  demon- 
stration that  an  independent  mind  may  enter  the  profes- 
sion of  the  ministry  and  be  free  —  to  seek  the  truth,  reli- 
gious and  social,  and  to  proclaim  it,  provided  he  is  willing 
to  pay  the  price  of  freedom  !  There  are  no  conveniences 
for  heroes  on  this  earth  in  the  Church  or  out  of  it.  To 
men  who  want  the  life  of  free  thought  and  free  speech 
made  easy,  the  Church  with  its  theological  and  sociological 
conservatism  seems  a  prison  which  puts  the  mind  in  fetters 
and  the  tongue  in  leash.  Not  so,  however,  is  it  in  reality 
for  those  brave,  truth-loving  and  truth-speaking  souls 
who,  like  Frank  Spalding,  dare.  As  for  the  economic  inde- 
pendence of  the  ministry  any  man  is  free  who  is  willing 
to  starve.  Moreover,  the  minister  who  serves  is  a  producer 
of  genuine  values,  not  a  parasite.  In  one  of  the  last  speeches 
he  made,  however,  Frank  Spalding  held  that  so  long  as  the 
ministry  depended  upon  those  who  live  on  interest,  profits 


THE   CHOICE    OF   A   PROFESSION  3 1 

and  rent,  it  cannot  as  a  profession  be  independent,  nor  can 
it  ever  reach  that  increasing  number  of  working  men  and 
women  who  believe  that  interest,  profit  and  rent  are  socially 
wrong. 

The  ministry  appealed  to  Frank  Spalding  in  its  mission- 
ary aspects,  where  heroism  and  idealism  offered  clear  and 
unmistakable  utterance.  "Bishop  Boone  preached  to  the 
S.  Paul's  Society,"  he  writes  to  his  mother.  "He  gave  a 
very  interesting  account  of  the  Church  work  in  China.  How 
would  you  like  to  have  me  go  to  China?"  It  was  not  the 
glamour  of  a  distant  heathen  land,  always  alluring  to  chiv- 
alrous young  men  thinking  of  the  ministry,  but  the  reality 
and  the  urgency  of  the  need  that  interested  him.  "Mis- 
sions are  preached  a  great  deal  in  college,"  he  adds.  "Dr. 
Patton  gave  us  an  address  on  the  subject  the  other  night. 
After  the  meeting  some  of  the  fellows  asked  him  if  we  ought 
all  to  go  to  foreign  missions.  He  said,  'It's  a  question  of 
giving  bread  to  the  starving  millions  or  giving  tonic  to  rich 
people,  and  I  say  give  the  bread  to  the  starving.'  We 
discussed  the  matter  in  the  St.  Paul's  Society  and  I  held 
that  home  work  was  every  bit  as  important  as  foreign  work, 
but  I  was  almost  alone  in  the  opinion."  When  he  finally 
decided  on  his  life  profession,  his  choice  was  not  to  be  a 
clergyman  or  even  a  minister ;  it  was  to  be  a  western 
missionary. 

Princeton,  Jan.  10,  1887. 

My  dear  Mother  :  I  don't  know  what  Will  could  have  told 
you  in  his  letter  about  me  to  make  you  think  I  have  decided  to 
go  to  the  seminary  next  year  for  I  haven't  decided  what  to  do. 
But  I  do  think  this  that  I  ought  not  to  go  there  next  year  but  ought 
to  teach  or  do  something  to  earn  enough  money  to  put  myself 
through  the  rest  of  my  education,  whether  I  go  to  a  theological 
or  a  law  school  or  a  medical  school,  for  it  seems  to  me  that  when 


32  PRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

a  person  gets  to  be  twenty-two  years  old  it  is  about  time  for  him 
to  look  out  for  himself.  I  suppose  you  and  papa  would  be 
perfectly  willing  to  pay  my  way  through  the  seminary  or  wher- 
ever I  go  but  I  don't  like  the  idea  at  all.  One  thing  sure,  I  agree 
with  you  about  going  into  business,  after  spending  about  $2000 
and  four  years  of  time  on  an  education  I  can't  see  how  any  body 
can  go  to  work  at  what  a  boy  could  do  who  hasn't  even  graduated 
at  the  Public  School. 

I  think  I  will  write  to  Charles  Kienzlee  about  the  Seminary. 
If  I  go  there  I  don't  want  to  get  into  any  swell  set.  I  am  going 
to  be  a  western  missionary.  Charlie  told  me  last  summer  how 
the  rich  crowd  snubbed  the  poor  students.  I  would  enjoy  being 
snubbed  by  a  fellow  after  the  type  of  .  .  .  I  suppose  I  can  get 
some  kind  of  missionary  work  to  do  and  so  pay  expenses.  But  I 
still  think  I  might  get  a  place  to  teach  for  a  year. 

The  opportunity  to  carry  out  the  hope,  expressed  in  the 
last  sentence  of  this  letter,  came  with  an  offer  from  the 
Princeton  Preparatory  School.  For  the  next  year  at  least 
he  decided  to  teach.  In  September  after  his  graduation 
from  Princeton  Spalding  became  a  "  house-master "  in 
the  Princeton  Preparatory  School.  During  that  year  he 
taught  Caesar,  geography,  elocution,  reading,  writing, 
arithmetic,  history  and  English  grammar.  It  was  a  val- 
uable experience  which  he  never  regretted,  making  it  pos- 
sible for  him  to  brush  up  all  his  studies,  to  take  post-grad- 
uate work  in  college,  and  especially  to  come  to  conclusions 
with  himself  as  to  his  life  work.  The  experience  of  teaching 
helped  him,  as  it  did  Phillips  Brooks,  to  see  that  the  profes- 
sion of  the  teacher  was  not  for  him.  "I  am  beginning  to 
think,"  he  wrote  his  brother  Will  who  had  entered  the  Gen- 
eral Seminary  after  graduation,  "I  should  be  a  minister 
though  I  haven't  got  it  settled."  And  to  his  father  he 
wrote,  "lam  trying  to  think  that  I  would  be  better  satisfied 
in  going  to  the  seminary  than  I  would  be  studying  law. 


THE   CHOICE   OF   A   PROFESSION  33 

But  I  do  hate  the  idea  of  studying  Hebrew  roots.  In- 
deed I  am  afraid  that  I  can  not  settle  down  to  study  Hebrew 
as  I  ought  to  do,  if  I  went  to  the  seminary." 

In  the  Spring  of  the  year  Frank  Spalding  finally  reached 
the  conclusion  to  which  he  had  been  tending  since  the 
beginning  of  his  Senior  year :  he  would  enter  the  ministry. 
The  ground  upon  which  he  justified  his  decision  was  service. 
It  was  not  a  question  of  serving  Christ  but  of  serving  men. 
Christ  he  had  resolved  to  serve  at  his  Confirmation,  and 
Him  he  would  serve  whether  he  entered  the  law,  medicine, 
teaching  or  the  so-called  ministry.  The  real  question  was 
in  regard  to  the  walk  of  life  where  a  man  could  make  the 
best  investment  of  his  life.  Frank  Spalding's  call  was  his 
conviction,  intellectual  more  than  emotional,  that  a  man 
could  do  most  good  as  a  clergyman.  It  was  not  the  saving 
of  souls  or  the  celebrating  of  sacraments,  but  the  opportunity 
which  the  ministry  offered  to  a  Christian  man  of  doing  good, 
strengthening  the  moral  life  and  furthering  the  cause  of 
righteousness  in  the  world,  that  he  believed  called  him. 
"If  I  have  any  talents  which  will  help  me  in  the  Law  they 
will  help  me  also  as  a  preacher  of  Christ.  I  can  do  more 
good  as  a  clergyman  than  as  a  lawyer." 

At  the  close  of  the  school  year  Frank  sailed  for  England 
with  the  Bishop  who  went  to  attend  the  Lambeth  Confer- 
ence, and  spent  the  summer  before  entering  the  seminary 
in  travel  on  the  continent.  In  the  entertainment,  custom- 
ary on  shipboard,  he  took  part,  reciting  several  pieces,  to 
the  great  delight  of  the  audience.  "Your  son,"  remarked 
a  teacher  of  elocution  from  Boston  to  the  Bishop,  "has  a 
fine  voice  and  much  natural  ability  as  an  elocutionist.  If 
I  could  give  him  instruction  for  a  year  or  two  he  would 
certainly  make  his  mark  in  that  direction."  Bishop  Spald- 
ing gravely  and  courteously  thanked  the  lady  for  her  kindly 


34  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

words,  though  the  shadow  of  a  smile  lurked  around  the 
corners  of  his  mouth.  The  countenance  of  the  younger 
Spalding  bore  a  "Praise  —  from  Sir  Roderick  —  is  praise 
indeed"  expression,  and  he  said  to  a  fellow  passenger, 
"How  is  that  for  the  Boston  school  ma'am?  I  have  been 
instructor  of  elocution  at  Princeton." 


IV 

Theological  Student 

When  Frank  Spalding  entered  the  General  Theological 
Seminary  in  New  York,  in  the  fall  of  1888,  he  found  himself 
in  a  new  and  strange  atmosphere.  The  Seminary  was  the 
official  institution  of  the  general  Church,  as  distinct  from 
the  diocesan  or  sectional  seminaries,  for  the  education  of 
young  men  for  the  ministry,  and  he  went  to  it  a  zealous 
member  of  his  Church  and  the  son  of  a  bishop.  His  father 
called  himself  a  High  Churchman,  and  Frank's  own  church- 
manship  was  like  his  father's  and  that  which  he  found  in 
Kip's  "  Double  Witness  ",  which  had  been  his  ever-ready 
help  in  controversies  with  his  Presbyterian  classmates  at 
Princeton.  But  he  found  in  the  Seminary,  established  in 
the  leading  chairs,  a  type  of  churchmanship  such  as  he 
had  never  encountered.  The  Seminary,  unknown  to  the 
bishops  and  the  people  as  a  whole,  had  gone  over  to  the 
position  of  the  Oxford  Movement. 

In  a  letter  to  his  father  Frank  wrote,  "When  I  decided 
to  come  here  I  did  it  because  I  thought  I  could  do  more 
good  as  a  clergyman  than  as  a  lawyer,  and  that  if  I  had  any 
talents  which  would  have  helped  me  in  law  they  would 
help  me  also  as  a  preacher  of  Christ.  But  I  am  instructed 
that  the  preaching  and  active  part  of  the  work  is  a  minor 
matter  and  that  the  priestly  part  of  the  work,  which  it 
seems  to  me  a  half-witted  ignoramus  can  do,  is  the  great 
and   almost   only   work   of   importance.     Really,    I   can't 

35 


36  FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 

go  this  real  presence  that  Dr.  Oliver  teaches."  He  had 
gone  to  the  Seminary  thinking  it  was  a  school  of  the  prophets, 
a  laboratory  of  the  workers,  and  he  found  it  to  be  a  drill- 
ground  of  the  priests. 

Frank  Spalding  was  not  a  man,  however,  to  make  snap 
judgments  and  refuse  to  revise  them.  He  resolved  to  exam- 
ine the  position  of  those  who  delighted  to  call  themselves 
"Catholics."  "I  suppose,"  he  writes  his  father,  "that  I 
ought  not  to  think  about  questions  until  they  come  up  in 
the  course  and  I  am  instructed  in  them,  but  you  see  I  am 
driven  into  it  because  when  a  fellow  makes  a  statement 
which  I  think  wrong  and  draws  conclusions  that  seem 
illogical,  I  like  to  jump  into  them."  In  his  class  were 
several  extreme  "Catholics"  who  were  fond  of  going  into 
his  room  and  arguing  with  him.  Some  of  them  had  come 
into  the  Episcopal  Church  from  other  churches  and  it 
amused  him  when  these  men,  who  had  been  Churchmen 
only  a  year,  proceeded  to  call  him  a  "Low  Churchman,  or  a 
Methodist."  Accepting  the  teaching  of  the  Seminary  on 
the  Holy  Communion,  these  men  concerned  themselves 
with  the  corollaries  of  that  proposition,  vestments,  lights, 
incense.  "We  have  one  fellow  especially  'Catholic'  who 
thinks  it  is  absolutely  sinful  to  celebrate  the  Communion 
without  full  vestments.  I  asked  him  what  he  would  do  if 
he  couldn't  get  them.  He  said  he  never  would  go  without 
carrying  his  Cope,  etc.  I  asked  him  what  he  would  do  if 
he  was  in  Colorado  and  had  to  go  on  snow  shoes.  He 
insisted  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  take  his  vestments." 

The  Oxford  Movement  in  aiming  to  present  the  historical 
continuity  of  the  Church  of  England  had  nothing  but  con- 
tempt for  Protestantism  in  all  its  forms.  It  was  an  atti- 
tude which,  as  advocated  by  the  students  at  least,  seemed 
to  Spalding  an  evidence  of  fanaticism.     "Last  Friday  some 


THEOLOGICAL   STUDENT  37 

extreme  'Catholics,'  although  it  seems  to  me  they  are  any- 
thing but  liberal  and  truly  catholic,  got  to  arguing  in  refer- 
ence to  the  sects.  Some  of  them  thought  all  the  sects  were 
to  be  damned  and  the  majority  of  these  advanced  individuals 
think  that  as  Christian  ministers,  that  is  when  they  are 
ordained,  they  will  not  recognize  the  ministers  of  the  sects 
in  any  way  but  act  just  as  if  this  Church  was  the  only  one 
in  town  and  that  all  outside  were  as  heathen.  I  think  they 
will  have  their  eyes  opened  when  they  get  out  of  the  Semi- 
nary." 

When  such  subjects  came  up  in  course,  Spalding,  who  had 
kept  his  mind  open,  straightway  wanted  to  know  the  reason 
for  the  positions  taken  by  the  professors.  Invariably  he 
received  the  answer,  "It  is  the  teaching  of  the  Catholic 
Church."  Professor  Richey  advocated  the  use  of  incense 
on  that  ground.  Bowing  to  the  altar,  crossing  oneself  and 
other  ritualistic  practices  which  Spalding  questioned  were 
similarly  justified.  When  pushed  for  a  definition  of  ortho- 
doxy, Professor  Oliver  answered,  "The  teaching  of  the 
Catholic  Church."  "Now  I  can't  see  why  Dr.  Westcott 
(whose  Commentary  on  The  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  had  just 
appeared  and  was  declared  unorthodox  by  Dr.  Oliver)  is 
not  as  likely  to  have  stated  the  'Catholic  Faith'  as  Dr. 
Oliver  and  a  little  more  likely  too,  for  of  course  he  is  a  far 
greater  scholar."  The  talk  of  this  and  that  being  the 
Catholic  view  was  inexplicable  to  him.  "The  thing  that 
puzzles  me  more  than  anything  else  is  how  you  are  to  find 
what  the  Church  teaches.  Isn't  the  right  answer  in  the 
Prayer  Book?"  To  these  letters  his  father  replied  that 
Frank  would  do  well  to  study  Andrews,  Bull,  Harold  Browne, 
Pearson  and  the  great  body  of  Anglican  divines.  "The 
habit  of  those  (the  Ritualists)  is  to  refer  to  modern  Roman 
usage  as  authority.     I  insist  on  their  giving  authorities 


38  FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 

that  are  not  Romish."  Little  weight,  however,  would  such 
writers  have  with  men  who  held  that  "Bloody  Mary  was 
the  special  instrument  raised  up  by  God  to  save  the  Church 
from  such  corrupters  as  Cranmer,  Ridley  and  Latimer,  and 
that  pity  for  those  men  whom  she  burned  is  wasted  as  they 
died  for  a  cause  not  worth  dying  for.  Finally,  unable  to 
answer  his  questions,  they  sought  the  reason  for  what  they 
called  his  bias  and  intellectual  pride,  in  his  previous  reli- 
gious training. 

To  His  Mother 

General  Theological  Sem. 
Mch.  7,  1891. 

I  have  the  best  joke  on  you  imaginable !  I  will  have  to  tell 
you  how  it  all  came  about.  Possibly  you  will  say  that  it  is  my 
fault  and  that  I  have  not  been  keeping  the  Fifth  Commandment, 
but  you  will  have  to  forgive  me  for  the  fun  of  the  joke.  I  was 
talking  after  class  with  Prof.  Walpole  the  other  day  together 
with  a  man  who  has  come  into  the  Church  from  the  Methodists. 
Walpole  was  telling  Shomaker  about  the  necessity  of  surrendering 
one's  belief  and  will  to  the  belief  of  the  whole  Catholic  Church. 
He  said  that  everyone  had  a  bias  which  would  lead  him  to  reject 
all  which  was  contrary  to  his  way  of  thinking ;  that  this  bias 
was  generally  the  result  of  bringing  up.  I  told  him  that  I  didn't 
think  that  that  had  been  so  in  my  case,  because  I  certainly  had 
been  brought  up  in  a  church  family  and  always  taught  the  church 
doctrine  but  that  now  I  had  the  reputation  of  being  rather  a 
poor  Churchman  and  that  anything  rationalistic  in  its  tone  ap- 
pealed to  me  more  strongly  than  anything  merely  submissive  to 
authority.  He  said  that  I  was  mistaken ;  that  he  understood 
that  my  home  training  had  not  been  churchly  and  that  my  life 
at  Princeton  had  been  such  that  Presbyterian  ideas  had  influ- 
enced me.  I  said  that  as  to  Princeton  I  had  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  religion  of  Princeton  except  in  Mr.  Baker's  church  and 
had  not  given  it  all  a  thought.     We  had  just  before  been  talking 


THEOLOGICAL    STUDENT  39 

about  the  Bible  and  I  asked  him  where  I  got  my  bias  towards 
'modern  ideas'  which  he  had  said  I  had.  I  said  I  surely  did 
not  get  that  at  home  as  all  my  teaching  had  been  conserva- 
tive; and  also  at  Bible  class.  He  said  "who  was  your  Bible 
class  teacher."  I  said  'my  mother',  thinking  of  course  I  had 
him,  when  he  said,  "Well  that's  where  you  get  your  rational- 
istic ideas  for  I  understand  that  your  mother  is  not  a  good  church 
woman;  that  she  was  once  a  Presbyterian  and  has  never  lost 
that  phase  of  life."  I  had  to  laugh  heartily.  I  told  him  kindly 
to  inform  his  informant  when  he  next  saw  him  or  her  that  he  or 
she  was  very  much  mistaken  in  saying  that  he  or  she  knew  you 
very  well,  that  he  or  she  didn't  know  you  at  all  — probably  had 
never  seen  you  and  that  I  told  him  and  her  so  and  could  prove 
it.  Now  don't  you  think  that  is  good.  Simply  because  I  ask 
questions  when  I  don't  understand  and  can't  see  anything  in 
ritual  and  try  to  get  reasons  for  things  which  may  be  proved,  I 
have  the  terrible  name  of  Protestant  applied  to  me  and  my  in- 
terested friends  have  discovered  that  my  mother,  being  a  very 
"poor  churchman",  still  a  Presbyterian  at  heart,  is  to  blame  for 
giving  me  a  nature  which  Professor  Walpole  says  is  proud  and 
far  from  that  of  the  little  child  of  Scripture  and  moulded  much  by 
the  Devil.     I  think  it  is  about  the  best  joke  I  ever  heard. 

The  Seminary  at  that  time  made  no  serious  demands  upon 
the  students ;  its  methods  were  slipshod  and  its  standards 
were  low.  "I  have  finished  my  sermon  and  handed  it  in 
and  I  am  not  at  all  satisfied  with  it.  But  there  is  very 
little  stimulus  to  work  when  you  know  the  professor  will 
hardly  look  at  it  and  will  say  that  it  is  very  good  no  matter 
what  it  is."  Again  he  remarks  that  the  examinations  do 
not  amount  to  anything.  "The  Profs,  let  every  one  through 
for  the  honor  of  the  institution."  There  were  indeed  some 
members  of  the  Faculty  who  were  incompetent  to  teach 
untrained  boys,  much  less  graduates  of  leading  colleges. 
"Dr. is  so  poor  that  we  had  a  student  meeting  about  it. 


40  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

One  man  stated  that  one  of  the  trustees  told  him  Dr. 

was  sure  to  be  re-elected  unless  the  students  did  something. 
So  a  committee  was  appointed,  one  from  each  class  to  confer 
with  the  trustees  on  the  subject  and  tell  them  how  incom- 
petent Dr. is  and  so  prevent  his  election.     I  am  on 

the  committee  from  our  class."  There  was  one  man,  in  a 
position  of  prominence,  who  not  only  did  not  win  Frank 
Spalding's  respect  but  earned  his  righteous  contempt. 
"It  does  not  give  a  student  a  very  high  opinion  of  a  man's 
ability  when  he  can  take  a  Maclear's  Sunday  School  Bible 
History  into  class  and  listen  to  the  Professor  lecture  it 
almost  word  for  word,  making  now  and  then  a  slight  change 
much  as  the  boys  at  the  Prep,  did  last  year  when  they  copied 
compositions." 

Outside  the  classroom  Frank  Spalding  found  two  mem- 
bers of  the  Faculty  interesting  and  helpful.  "I  had  a  fine 
talk  and  walk  with  Professor  Walpole  this  afternoon.  We 
talked  about  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible  and  he  helped  my 
ideas  along  very  much."  Again  he  writes,  "I  went  over 
to  see  Dr.  Richey  the  other  evening  and  had  a  long  talk 
with  him  on  the  Incarnation  and  other  theological  subjects 
and  he  put  hard  points  clearly  and  helped  me  a  great  deal. 
Richey  is  worth  all  the  other  professors  together  but  he 
should  be  professor  of  Dogmatics,  I  think." 

There  were  other  seminaries  in  the  Episcopal  Church 
where  the  alert  and  inquiring  mind  of  Frank  Spalding 
would  have  found  life  and  inspiration,  but  he  did  not  know 
them  until  the  third  year  of  his  course.  Of  the  school 
which  doubtless  would  have  most  aided  his  intellect  he  was 
not  only  ignorant  but  suspicious.  One  of  the  candidates  of 
Colorado,  a  senior  at  Trinity  College,  hearing  that  the 
General  Seminary  was  a  "theological  boys  school"  made  a 
request  of  his  bishop  to  go  to  the  Episcopal  Theological 


THEOLOGICAL    STUDENT  4 1 

School  at  Cambridge,  and  the  bishop  refused  in  curt  terms. 
Frank  wrote  to  his  father  that  that  man  deserved  different 
treatment  and  should  rather  have  been  shown  that  the 
bis  hopknew  "Cambridge  Theology  is  bad  and  that  from 
your  experience  with  Cambridge-trained  men,  that  semi- 
nary is  not  a  success."  In  his  Senior  year  he  visited  Cam- 
bridge as  a  delegate  of  the  General  to  the  Missionary  Con- 
vention of  seminaries  and  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the 
School  from  within.  "The  fellowship  between  faculty  and 
students  at  Cambridge  is  wonderful.  Silver  took  me  into 
Professor  Kellner's  room  and  I  talked  to  him  about  Higher 
Criticism  for  two  hours.  He  thinks  Moses  wrote  no  more 
than  the  Decalogue,  and  that  Leviticus  is  the  latest  book  of 
the  Five  and  that  the  existence  of  the  Tabernacle  is  very 
doubtful.  He  also  thinks  that  Assyrian  inscriptions  are 
more  reliable  for  determining  chronology  than  the  Bible 
with  which  they  often  disagree;  and  yet  he  spoke  with 
suspicion  of  the  'Rationalists.'  We  hear  absolutely  noth- 
ing of  this  here  and  when  we  ask  questions  the  answer  shows 
that  the  professor  is  as  poorly  read  on  the  subject  as  we  are. 
I  don't  wonder  Cambridge  students  are  fond  of  their  semi- 
nary." In  the  missionary  conventions  he  also  met  students 
of  the  Episcopal  Seminary  at  Alexandria  and  was  impressed 
by  their  enthusiasm  for  missions  and  their  personal  reli- 
gion. "Those  Alexandria  fellows  have  the  true  ring,"  he 
wrote  home.  "We  hear  very  little  about  personal  religion 
here  as  though  that  was  to  be  taken  for  granted." 

What  inspiration  the  Seminary  failed  to  give  to  him  the 
churches  of  the  great  city  in  a  measure  supplied.  Every 
Sunday  was  a  feast  day,  "the  pleasantest  day  of  the  week," 
he  wrote,  and  Lent  was  a  spiritual  banquet,  for  then  the 
greatest  preachers  came  to  New  York.  At  first  Dr.  Morgan 
Dix,  in  whose  parish  Spalding  had  a  Sunday  School  class  on 


42  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

Sunday  morning,  appealed  to  him  as  a  great  preacher,  "the 
equal  of  any  we  heard  in  England  last  summer."  But  Dr. 
Dix's  view  of  life,  when  he  came  to  know  it,  did  not  appeal 
to  him  as  true.  "He  holds  that  our  life  here  amounts  to 
very  little,  only  as  a  shadow,  but  the  real  life  is  in  the  inter- 
mediate state  where  true  progress  to  holiness  is  made." 
Canon  Knox  Little  struck  him  as  very  spiritual  and  very 
pious,  "but  I  don't  like  that  kind  of  speech  so  much  as  the 
kind  of  Bishop  Gilbert,  full  of  life  and  activity."  He  also 
heard  Phillips  Brooks  preach  his  famous  sermon,  "The 
Light  of  the  World,"  which  he  described  as  magnificent,and, 
in  the  historic  Lenten  week  when  the  great  preacher  packed 
Trinity  Church  to  the  curb,  Frank  Spalding  was  one  of  the 
multitude  who  heard  him  gladly.  "I  never  knew  what  elo- 
quence was  before  I  heard  him  describe  Christian  manhood." 
He  visited  with  "Catholic"  friends  the  Church  of  St.  Mary 
the  Virgin  and  "saw  Father  Brown  in  all  the  pomp  of  the 
office."  Some  of  the  things  done  there  and  their  meaning 
seemed  to  him  "ridiculous  and  absurd."  One  Sunday 
morning  he  entered  St.  George's  Church.  The  great 
throng  that  rilled  every  seat  and  even  the  steps  of  the 
chancel,  the  congregational  music,  the  hearty  participa- 
tion in  the  responses  on  the  part  of  all,  and  especially  the 
preacher,  Dr.  Rainsford,  with  his  message  of  life  and  ac- 
tivity and  his  sense  of  the  presence  of  God,  held  the  young 
disciple  of  Christ  spellbound.  That  day  he  wrote  to  his 
mother,  "St.  George's  is  the  church  for  me." 

It  was  in  the  city  churches  as  a  laboratory  rather  than  in 
the  Seminary  that  Frank  Spalding  acquired  his  style  of 
preaching  and  method  of  working.  "I  used  to  think  that 
the  style  of  Father  Maturin  &  Co.  with  its  modulations  and 
gestures  was  a  very  fine  way  and  effective,  but  since  I  heard 
Sam  Jones  I  think  just  the  natural  method  is  ten  times  the 


THEOLOGICAL    STUDENT  43 

best."  The  short  sentence  and  the  Anglo-Saxon  words 
seemed  to  him  the  way  to  transmit  thought.  "I  heard  a 
man  tell  children  how  'infectious'  sin  was.  I  wonder  why 
men  don't  use  simple  words  in  talking  to  children."  When 
he  became  the  rector  of  a  parish  he  conducted  a  Children's 
Service  and  was  most  successful  in  interesting  them.  It 
was  also  in  the  city  that  he  learned  the  methods  and  ideals 
of  that  useful  modern  form  of  service,  the  parish  house. 
Dr.  Rainsford,  whom  the  Dean  and  Faculty  would  not 
invite  to  the  General  Seminary,  held  a  reception  each  year 
for  the  students  of  both  the  General  and  Union.  Frank 
Spalding,  with  those  students  who  were  not  "Anglo-Catho- 
lics," who  refused  to  recognize  the  sectarians,  attended. 
It  was  always  a  memorable  occasion,  with  Dr.  Rainsford 
at  his  best,  witty,  eloquent,  religious,  heretical.  Some 
students  he  shocked,  but  others  he  electrified.  Its  chief 
value,  however,  was  in  the  opportunity  it  offered  to  future 
rectors  and  pastors  to  know  the  most  efficient  parish  organ- 
ization in  the  American  Church. 

Frank  Spalding  found,  to  his  delight,  that  the  student 
body  at  the  Seminary  was  not  divided  into  rich  and  poor, 
as  had  been  reported  to  him.  While  varying  in  previous 
education  and  in  natural  ability  they  were  young  men  of 
Christian  character  and  earnest  purpose.  Some  of  his 
friendships  which  closed  only  with  his  death  were  formed  in 
the  Seminary.  In  his  intercourse  with  his  fellow  students, 
and  especially  with  these  friends,  he  was  the  big  boy  still, 
brimming  over  with  physical  strength  and  energy,  intel- 
lectually alive,  spiritually  devout.  Ever  loving  to  argue, 
and,  as  he  says,  "quick  to  jump  into  fellows  when  he  thought 
them  wrong,"  he  was  never  unkind  or  acrimonious.  No 
man  who  had  such  positive  convictions  had  more  genuine 
intellectual  humility.     Therefore  the  "Catholics"  loved  to 


44  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

drop  into  his  room  and  try  out  their  opinions  on  him. 
"Your  elder  son,"  wrote  home  his  brother  Will  who  for  two 
years  was  Frank's  room-mate  at  the  Seminary,  "  has  been 
familiarly  dubbed  by  his  affectionate  classmates  as  'The 
Kicker'  on  account  of  his  extremely  argumentative  turn 
of  mind,.  He  has  floored  all  the  ritualists  in  the  vicinity 
with  knock-down  arguments,  and  his  eye  flashes  proudly 
as  he  looks  around  for  more  to  conquer."  Many  students 
differed  from  him  in  matters  of  opinion  and  belief,  and  some 
considered  him  a  hopeless  heretic,  but  all  thoroughly  re- 
spected him  and  even  cordially  admired  him.  His  aptitude 
for  leadership  and  his  personal  popularity  were  attested  by 
the  fact  that  he  was  elected  president  of  his  class  in  the 
Senior  year  and  held  that  position  as  an  alumnus  until  the 
day  of  his  death. 

Many  of  the  students  helped  pay  their  way  through  the 
Seminary  by  taking  charge  of  missions  in  New  Jersey  or 
Long  Island,  and  Frank  Spalding  was  in  great  demand  by 
them  for  entertainments  for  the  benefit  of  their  missions. 
In  his  year  at  the  Princeton  Preparatory  School  he  bought 
a  book  on  conjurer's  tricks,  to  interest  the  boys,  and  be- 
came an  adept  at  the  art  of  the  prestidigitation.  Here  is 
the  heading  of  the  handbill  of  one  of  those  entertainments 
which  all  participants  united  in  writing. 

GRAND   ENTERTAINMENT 

Mirth  Mystery  Mimicry 

Merriment  Music  Magic 

An  unparalleled  amount  of  amusement  crowded  into  one 
entertainment. 

Spalding  was  down  for  "Thirty  Minutes  of  Mystery. 
The  Occult  Mysteries  of  the  Sleight  of  Hand  Practices  of 


THEOLOGICAL    STUDENT  45 

India  revealed  by  the  Unknown  Prestidigitator."  At  other 
times  he  would  get  lantern-slide  pictures  of  Colorado,  and 
lecture  for  some  mission  on  "The  Switzerland  of  America," 
or  sing  with  the  Seminary  Glee  Club  in  a  benefit  concert. 

Such  little  trips  down  to  Patchogue  or  over  to  Hillsdale 
bound  the  friends  together  closer  even  than  Seminary  ties 
and  usually  found  three  of  them  occupying  the  same  bed 
for  that  night  in  some  parishioner's  house  or  country  hotel. 

To  His  Mother 

April  27,  1891. 

I  could  not  get  time  yesterday  to  write  to  you  but  am  up  early 
this  morning  and  hope  I  can  tell  you  all  the  news.  First  the 
great  excitement  of  the  moment.  Two  of  the  Juniors  have 
joined  the  Church  of  Rome.  They  got  out  bag  and  baggage  on 
Friday  evening.  The  papers  are  full  of  it  and  the  two  men, 
among  the  poorest  intellectually  in  their  class,  are  famous  for 
once.  Up  to  Christmas  one  was  a  very  low  Churchman  object- 
ing to  even  the  ritual  of  our  Chapel  service  and  the  other  has  only 
been  in  the  Church  about  ten  months,  having  come  from  the 
Dutch  Reformed  Church.  They  sneaked  out  before  any  body 
was  awake  at  5  a.m.  on  Friday.  I  suppose  we  shall  listen  to  a 
speech  from  the  Dean  on  the  subject  at  Chapel  this  morning. 

I  received  a  letter  on  Friday  from  a  young  lady.  As  it  is  I 
believe  the  first  epistle  I  ever  received  from  any  young  lady  out 
of  the  limits  of  consanguinity,  it  is  quite  an  event.  She  informed 
me  that  she  was  getting  up  a  walking  party.  It  was  to  include 
five  young  women  and  five  men.  Its  object  was  to  be  aesthetic 
and  healthful  and  I  was  invited  to  be  one  of  the  five  men.  The 
party  was  to  take  a  walk  every  Saturday  in  May.  I  replied 
that  I  was  very  grateful  for  the  invitation.  I  had  no  doubt 
that  I  needed  education  both  physical  and  intellectual  but  that 
the  remedy  proposed  was  so  unusual  and  violent  that  I  couldn't 
risk  the  experiment.  This  young  lady  is  taking  lessons  in  water 
color  painting.     As  Lizzie  knows,  I  am  well  up  on  that  subject, 


46  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

and  when  I  met  her  I  discussed  with  the  young  lady  the  question 
of  truth  in  art,  the  school  of  broad  painting,  &c.  &c.  and  you 
see  made  quite  an  impression. 

Professor  Walpole  says  that  he  thinks  the  best  way  about 
visiting  is  to  fix  a  limit  for  the  number  of  calls  to  be  made  and 
don't  ever  go  under  it.  He  used,  I  think,  to  make  twenty  calls 
a  week  and  not  be  satisfied  with  less.  Would  you  think  that  was 
big  enough? 

Last  Thursday  evening  Mr.  Moir,  Moir's  brother,  who  lives 
at  Hackensack,  invited  me  out  to  dinner  with  Mitchell,  Marfield 
Knight  and  Moir.  He  called  it  a  theological  dinner.  We  had  an 
elegant  dinner  and  a  real  good  time.  He  believes  in  Faith  Cure. 
He  had  nervous  prostration  and  the  doctor  could  not  help  him.  A 
woman  of  the  Mind  Cure  persuasion  cured  him  completely. 

The  time  is  very  short  now.  This  is  our  last  week  of  recita- 
tion. Then  a  week  of  vacation  in  which  to  study  up  for  ex- 
amination. Then  a  week  of  examination.  I  tell  you  the  time 
can't  go  too  fast. 

Spalding  entered  the  Seminary  to  become  a  missionary  in 
the  West,  and  all  through  his  three  years  in  New  York  he 
kept  in  mind  the  West  and  its  need  of  men.  He  became  the 
first  president  of  the  "Western  Missionary  Club"  which 
only  those  students  could  join  who  expected  to  go  west 
of  the  Mississippi  River.  Each  member  promised  to  say 
a  prayer  for  the  West  each  day  and  use  all  legitimate  means 
in  his  power  to  get  men  to  spend  at  least  three  years  in  the 
mission  field  of  the  West.  He  also  took  a  vital  interest  in 
the  missionary  society  of  the  seminaries,  going  as  a  dele- 
gate of  the  General  to  the  convention  at  Cambridge  and 
serving  as  president  of  the  convention  at  Philadelphia. 
From  this  last  convention,  where  Bishop  Graves  gave  the 
General  Seminary  a  "terrific  rating  for  sending  nobody  in 
years,"  Spalding  returned  to  the  General  determined  to  do 
his  part  in  arousing  the  missionary  spirit  of  his  seminary. 


THEOLOGICAL    STUDENT  47 

He  picked  out  the  best  men  in  the  lower  classes  and  indi- 
vidually put  the  call  of  the  West  before  them.  Partly  as 
a  result  of  his  influence  six  men  of  his  own  class  went  to 
Colorado  with  him,  several  others  to  other  western  dioceses 
and  many  younger  men  followed  in  the  next  two  years. 

When  the  Senior  year  drew  to  a  close  Frank  Spalding 
wrote  to  his  father,  "This  year  hasn't  meant  much  to  me 
intellectually  but  I  don't  think  it  is  my  fault."  Nor  was  it 
his  fault.  It  was  the  fault  of  the  Seminary  and  of  the 
Church  which  maintained  such  a  school.  Young  men  who 
were  ready  to  give  themselves  to  the  service  of  Christ  and 
His  Church  had  a  right  to  turn  to  a  seminary,  occupying 
the  position  of  the  General,  with  the  expectation  and  confi- 
dence that  they  would  be  fitted  to  serve  their  Lord  with 
intelligence  and  efficiency  in  their  day  and  generation. 
The  Seminary  failed  Frank  Spalding  and  many  other  ear- 
nest spirits.  Its  teachers  had  no  real  knowledge  of  modern 
religious  problems  and  summarily  dismissed  modern  views 
which  they  came  to  know  at  second  hand  as  "dangerous" 
or  "unsound."  Spalding  and  men  like  him  went  to  the 
work  of  the  Church  prepared,  if  at  all,  in  spite  of  the  Semi- 
nary, not  because  of  it.  Those  who  were  not  stultified 
by  the  wearisome  commonplaces  of  professors  were  compelled 
to  work  out  their  intellectual  salvation  alone,  meeting  prob- 
lems in  isolation  which  should  have  been  met  by  young 
men  seeking  truth  in  fellowship.  The  result  was  a  spiritual 
Gethsemane  for  many  of  those  men  in  their  ministry. 
The  wonder  is  that  Frank  Spalding  came  through  his  Geth- 
semane so  triumphantly.  It  is  no  surprise  that  some  of  his 
friends  failed  and  in  time  were  found  no  longer  in  the  ranks 
of  the  ministry.  "I'm  off  Sunday,"  he  wrote  a  few  days 
before  graduation.  "Banished  from  Rome.  What's  ban- 
ished but  set  free  from  things  I  loathe." 


V 

Jarvis  Hall  Days 

Seven  graduates  of  the  class  of  1891  of  the  General  Theo- 
logical Seminary  went  to  Colorado  as  missionaries.  Frank 
Spalding  had  spent  his  previous  vacation  in  Colorado,  where 
he  took  charge  of  the  mission  at  Colorado  City  and  won 
the  hearts  of  men.  In  the  assignment  of  fields,  Spalding, 
though  he  had  asked  to  be  sent  to  a  mining  camp,  the  hard- 
est work  in  the  jurisdiction,  was  sent  to  a  new  and  grow- 
ing section  of  Denver,  where  a  weak  parish  had  already 
been  organized.  On  June  3,  1891,  he  was  ordained  to  the 
diaconate  by  his  father,  the  Bishop  of  Colorado,  in  St. 
John's  Cathedral,  Denver,  and  on  the  following  Sunday 
began  his  ministry,  as  rector  of  All  Saints',  North  Denver. 

An  advertisement  in  the  daily  press,  announcing  the  new 
rector's  first  sermon,  concluded  with  this  remark : 

"The  Vestry  sincerely  hope  that  the  members  of  the 
congregation  will  make  a  united  effort  to  attend  the  ser- 
vice of  the  day,  and  a  full  attendance  of  the  choir  is  earnestly 
requested."  The  newspaper  announced  the  next  day 
that  "Rev.  Frank  S.  Spalding  demonstrated  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  the  large  congregation  that  he  is  (contrary 
to  the  general  rule)  the  able  son  of  an  able  father.  He 
has  directly  acquired  a  reputation  as  a  pulpit  orator."  The 
subject  of  Spalding's  first  sermon  was,  "Christians  as  co- 
workers with  Christ."  The  manner  of  the  delivery  was  as 
simple  and  real  as  the  theme  itself.     He  used  neither  ora- 

48 


JARVIS    HALL   DAYS  49 

torical  tones  nor  gestures,  was  natural  and  straightforward ; 
though  speaking  without  notes,  he  had  carefully  worked  out 
his  argument  and  demanded  of  his  hearers  their  close  at- 
tention. For  several  years  Spalding  had  observed  care- 
fully the  ways  and  methods  of  many  preachers,  and  he 
applied  to  this  first  sermon  a  method  which  he  had  derived 
from  such  observation  and  to  which  he  adhered  throughout 
his  career.  Every  word  of  his  sermon  had  been  written 
out,  but  no  attempt  was  made  to  commit  to  memory.  The 
writing  cleared  his  mind  and  made  him  sure  of  his  vocab- 
ulary, thus  giving  him  a  certain  confidence  which  in  turn 
inspired  confidence  in  his  hearers. 

All  Saints'  was  situated  among  people  of  small  means  in 
what  was  then  a  suburb  of  Denver.  The  new  rector  put 
life  into  its  organization  and  developed  new  activities.  He 
built  up  the  Sunday  School,  organized  a  Bible  Class  of  young 
people,  and  formed  a  branch  of  the  Woman's  Auxiliary  to 
the  Board  of  Missions.  Within  a  few  months  he  was  in 
demand  for  special  addresses  before  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  and  a  variety  of  patriotic  and  fraternal 
orders.  Like  many  another  young  preacher  he  found 
himself,  with  all  the  demands  upon  his  time  both  from 
within  and  without  his  parish,  hard  pressed  for  something 
to  say.  "Send  me,"  he  writes  to  his  sister  at  Vassar,  "any 
good  stories  you  hear  or  poems,  I  need  all  the  ideas  I  can 
get,  because  they  are  scarce." 

In  the  West,  during  the  early  nineties,  foot-ball  as  played 
in  the  East  was  unknown.  Graduates  of  Eastern  univer- 
sities on  their  return  to  the  West,  coached  the  teams  of 
local  colleges  in  the  new  game,  and  frequently  organized 
teams  of  ex-college  players  to  play  the  local  colleges.  Those 
games  were  the  athletic  events  of  the  year  and  brought  out 
immense  crowds.     Frank  Spalding  was  the  star  full-back 


E 


5<D  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

of  the  Denver  Athletic  Club.  He  questioned  at  first  the 
propriety  of  a  clergyman  taking  part  in  the  sports  of  young 
men,  but  he  soon  found  that  it  met  with  the  hearty  approval 
of  both  his  family  and  his  parish.  He  also  found  that  he 
got  to  know  more  young  men  by  means  of  foot-ball  than  by 
parish  work  and  public  speaking.  Moreover,  he  craved 
the  companionship  of  men,  since  church  work  threw  him  so 
much  with  women.  The  foot-ball  season  reached  its  cli- 
max in  the  Thanksgiving  Day  game  between  the  Athletic 
Club  and  the  School  of  Mines.  Each  team  had  its  en- 
thusiastic rooters  who  went  to  the  field  in  decorated  tally- 
hoes  and  coaches  and  crowded  the  side  lines  five  feet  deep. 
In  the  second  half  of  the  great  game,  with  the  score  in 
favor  of  Golden  and  with  but  five  minutes  to  play,  Frank 
Spalding  was  signalled  to  try  for  a  goal  from  the  field.  He 
caught  the  ball  on  Golden's  forty-yard  line,  and  sent  it, 
straight  and  clear,  between  the  goal  posts,  making  the  score 
5  to  4  in  favor  of  the  Athletic  Club.  It  was  such  a  finish 
as  lifts  a  multitude  as  one  man  out  of  their  seats  whether 
friend  or  foe.  The  crowd  broke  on  to  the  gridiron,  and 
lifting  the  hero  upon  their  shoulders  carried  him  in  triumph 
off  the  field.  From  that  day  Frank  Spalding  was  the  best 
known  and  most  admired  young  man  in  Denver.  It  was  a 
manly  type  of  Christianity  that  he  exemplified,  by  deed 
and  by  word,  before  the  men  and  boys  of  the  Queen  City 
of  the  Plains. 

Jarvis  Hall,  at  Montclair,  Colorado,  the  diocesan  school 
for  boys,  had  been  from  its  inception  a  heavy  financial  burden 
on  the  shoulders  of  the  bishop  and  the  Cathedral  Chapter, 
but  the  financial  depression  of  1892  made  it  doubly  so. 
The  bishop  turned  to  Frank  to  help  him  bear  this  load,  and 
Frank,  eager  to  help  his  father,  accepted  the  position  of 
head-master.     On  June  1,  1892,  Spalding  was  advanced  to 


JARVIS   HALL   DAYS  5 1 

the  priesthood  and  immediately  took  up  his  new  work. 
With  characteristic  generosity  and  self  sacrifice  he  straight- 
way surrendered  half  of  his  salary  as  head-master  in  order 
to  tide  over  the  finances  of  the  school.  All  through  his  life 
Frank  Spalding  was  assuming  financial  burdens  as  an  un- 
welcome inheritance  from  others,  and  carried  the  load  not 
merely  by  raising  money  but  by  sacrificing  his  own  modest 
salaries.  He  never  told  others  what  he  gave,  but  the  fact 
that  he  gave,  in  proportion  to  his  income,  more  generously 
than  any  contributor,  enabled  him  to  put  his  case  unhesi- 
tatingly and  convincingly.  He  was  utterly  indifferent  to 
his  personal  interests  when  the  cause  which  he  had  at  heart 
was  involved. 

The  athletic  prowess  of  the  new  head-master  gave  him  a 
great  advantage  with  the  boys  of  Jarvis  Hall.  He  entered 
into  its  games  and  sports  with  more  genuine  enthusiasm 
than  the  boys  themselves.  In  the  hours  of  recreation,  so 
far  from  feeling  any  restraint  in  his  presence,  the  boys  were 
delighted  to  have  him  among  them.  The  juvenile  photog- 
raphers, stamp  collectors  and  amateur  conjurers  found  in 
him  a  congenial  spirit.  To  delicate  and  ailing  boys,  espe- 
cially, he  was  unusually  tender.  When  a  student  at 
Princeton,  he  shared  his  room  with  Ned,  his  younger  brother, 
who  died  of  a  weak  heart  the  following  year,  and  Frank 
knew  what  it  meant  for  a  boy  of  eager  spirit  but  weak 
body  to  be  unable  to  take  part  in  vigorous  sports.  Be- 
cause of  his  muscular  frame  and  abounding  energy,  he  im- 
pressed some  men  as  intolerant  of  weakness  and  lacking  in 
sympathy  for  the  incompetent,  but,  inwardly,  he  had  an 
almost  feminine  gentleness.  To  the  little  boys,  particularly, 
he  was  the  big  brother  who  loved  them  all  and  was  glad  to 
play  any  sort  of  game.  Out  of  school  hours  there  was  none 
of  the  awe  which  is  supposed  to  hedge  about  a  head-master. 


52  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

His  assistant  masters  sometimes  complained  that  they  had 
to  dislodge  a  half  dozen  urchins  who  were  clambering  over 
him  before  they  could  reach  the  head-master  himself. 

What  his  administration  of  Jarvis  Hall  lacked  was  rigor 
in  its  discipline.  "Mr.  Clarke  says,"  Spalding  wrote  to 
his  sister,  "I  am  just  like  Proxenus  in  Zenophon,  a  good 
leader  for  good  men  but  imposed  on  by  the  bad,  and  I 
guess  that  he  is  about  right.  I  can't  seem  to  be  stern  enough 
and  so  the  discipline  is  not  as  strict  as  it  really  ought  to  be, 
and  I  don't  seem  to  be  able  to  make  it  so."  Spalding 
sought  to  govern  the  school  by  moral  suasion  and  personal 
influence  and  without  the  usual  system  of  punishments 
found  in  military  schools.  He  wanted  the  boys  to  act  from 
higher  motives  of  behavior  than  fear  of  punishment.  He 
was  ever  ready  to  forgive  even  the  worst  offenders  over  and 
over  again  if  he  thought  they  showed  genuine  regret  and 
repentance.  There  were  some  who  responded  to  his  trust 
in  them  and  became  his  lasting  friends. 

Such  being  the  character  of  his  administration  of  Jarvis 
Hall,  it  was  the  irony  of  fate  that  Spalding,  of  all  men, 
should  have  become  the  subject  of  a  police-court  trial  and 
articles  in  a  sensation-mongering  newspaper.  On  a  single 
occasion  he  was  reluctantly  driven  to  resort  to  corporal 
punishment  in  the  case  of  a  boy  who  resisted  every  other 
method  of  appeal.  The  boy  went  to  the  newspaper,  and 
the  paper,  without  attempting  to  verify  his  story,  wrote 
up  Jarvis  Hall  as  a  second  Dotheboys  Hall  and  its  principal 
as  a  kind  of  Squeers.  "It  was  too  good  a  story  not  to  use," 
was  the  laughing  explanation  of  the  irresponsible  reporter. 
The  police  authorities,  ever  ready  to  strain  out  a  gnat  and 
swallow  a  camel,  at  once  posed  as  the  guardians  of  outraged 
innocence  and  arrested  Frank  Spalding  and  all  the  masters. 
The  aggrieved  youth  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  shyster  lawyer 


JARVIS   HALL   DAYS  53 

who  straightway  brought  suit  for  damages.  Spalding's 
motive  was  so  obviously  sincere  and  the  case  so  explainable 
that  he  at  once  went  to  the  boy's  lawyer  to  give  the  facts. 
But  the  lawyer  took  his  call  as  an  opportunity  to  insult 
him  grossly,  hoping  by  so  doing  to  exasperate  him  into  an 
attack  upon  himself,  so  as  to  be  able  to  show  in  court  that 
the  head-master  was  a  brutal  fellow.  In  later  life  Spald- 
ing confessed  to  a  friend  that  he  had  never  been  nearer 
losing  control  of  himself  than  at  that  moment.  "I  could 
have  thrown  the  fellow,"  he  said,  "right  through  the  office 
window."  Fortunately  for  the  lawyer  the  temper  within 
those  six  feet  of  brawn  was  subject  to  a  moral  power  equally 
well  developed.  The  people  of  Denver,  who  knew  both 
Spalding  and  the  ways  of  their  sensational  press,  treated 
the  story  as  ludicrous.  When  the  case  came  to  trial  a  ver- 
dict of  acquittal  was  speedily  given.  For  Spalding,  who 
had  devoted  life  and  money  to  the  welfare  and  happiness  of 
the  boys  and  the  upbuilding  of  the  school,  this  experience, 
like  the  effect  of  the  somewhat  similar  experience  of  Phillips 
Brooks,  was  harsh  and  discouraging.  "I  don't  know  what 
to  do  about  Jarvis  Hall,"  he  wrote.  "It  has  been  proved 
that  it  can  be  run  at  a  fair  profit  and  pay  a  rent  of  $1400 
a  year,  but  I  am  beginning  to  fear  that  I  am  not  a  success 
as  a  school  teacher." 

In  his  influence  over  boys,  Spalding,  the  school-master, 
was  an  unquestioned  success.  His  forceful  and  earnest 
manner  of  speech,  his  pure  Anglo-Saxon  words,  thrown  out 
in  short,  intelligible  sentences,  and  his  vivid  illustrations, 
gripped  the  attention  of  his  young  hearers  whether  in  in- 
formal address  in  the  school  or  sermon  in  the  parish  church 
near  by,  where  he  preached  on  Sundays.  Without  affec- 
tation and  the  slightest  effort  after  rhetorical  effect,  he 
impressed  all  by  his  evident  sincerity  and  the  reality  of  his 


54  FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 

message.  "I  have  to  send  a  boy  home  to-morrow,"  he 
wrote,  "and  I  am  sorry.  But  we  can  have  no  liars  around 
here.',  It  was  an  invigorating  atmosphere  of  truth- tell- 
ing, right  action  and  generous  treatment  of  others,  gener- 
ated by  his  own  pure  and  ardent  soul,  that  pervaded  the 
school.  His  appeals  were  addressed  to  the  higher  nature 
of  the  boys,  to  their  manliness,  self-respect  and  conscience. 
Many  old  Jarvis  Hall  boys,  scattered  now  far  and  wide, 
remember  vividly  the  tall,  spare  figure,  the  flashing  eye, 
the  impetuous  flow  of  speech  of  Frank  Spalding,  and, 
though  the  recollection  of  what  he  said  has  faded  from  their 
minds,  the  moral  fiber  of  what  he  was  has  entered  into  their 
souls. 

The  presidential  election  of  1896  was  fought  out  on  the 
issue  of  bimetallism.  Spalding  enthusiastically  advocated 
the  free  coinage  of  silver  at  the  ratio  of  sixteen  of  silver  to 
one  of  gold.  To  the  discussion  of  that  complicated  question 
he  brought  knowledge  of  American  financial  history  as  well 
as  clear  moral  sense.  The  Lynde  Prize  debate,  which  he 
had  won  at  Princeton,  was  upon  the  repeal  of  the  first  sec- 
tion of  the  Silver  Act  of  1878.  He  then  opposed  the  de- 
monetization of  silver  for  both  historical  and  theoretical 
reasons.  From  1792  to  1873  the  legal  standard  of  value  in 
the  United  States  was  the  double  one  of  gold  and  silver  at 
prescribed  ratios.  By  the  Coinage  Act  of  1873  the  silver 
dollar,  which  was  then  worth  more  than  the  gold  dollar, 
and  which  no  one  could  foresee  would  ever  be  worth  less, 
was  dropped  from  the  coinage,  leaving  gold  as  the  only  full 
legal-tender  coined  money.  The  value  of  silver  began  to 
decline  soon  after  the  passage  of  the  law,  and  straightway 
in  the  silver  mining  country  a  movement  was  begun  that 
aimed  to  restore  the  sixteen  to  one  silver  dollar  to  free 
coinage.     Silver  had  a  real  value  which  was  at  that  time 


JAR  VIS   HALL   DAYS  55 

not  greatly  less  than  sixteen  of  silver  to  one  of  gold  in  weight. 
It  was  contended  by  men  in  the  East,  the  creditors  of  West- 
ern farmers,  that  the  Bland  dollar  was  a  "dishonest  dollar  " 
and  in  the  interest  of  the  debtors.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Western  men  held  that  the  departure  from  the  double 
standard  was  responsible  for  the  depression  of  prices  and 
the  increase  in  the  burden  of  all  debts.  The  truth  was, 
the  world  was  experiencing  an  over-production  of  silver 
brought  about  by  the  immense  increase  in  silver  mines  in 
the  West,  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand.  Had  there  not 
been  a  corresponding  increase  in  the  production  of  gold  the 
East  would  indeed  have  become  "the  enemy's  country" 
to  the  men  of  the  West ;  and  had  silver  been  restored  to  free 
coinage,  the  West  would  have  profited  at  the  expense  of 
the  East.  What  was  taking  place  in  the  world's  supply  of 
gold  and  silver  was  unknown  to  the  people  at  large,  at  that 
time,  and  the  discussion,  consequently,  was  confined  to 
history  and  theory. 

The  lad  who  had  organized  the  Garfield  Club  in  the  presi- 
dential election  of  1880,  now  played  a  man's  part  in  the 
election  of  1896.  Spalding  made  several  speeches  in 
Colorado  and  argued  for  free  coinage  of  silver  at  every 
available  opportunity.  The  point  which  naturally  most 
interested  him  was  the  charge,  made  by  the  Eastern  press 
and  many  of  his  nearest  friends  in  the  East,  that  the  Bland 
dollar  was  a  "dishonest  dollar."  This  charge  struck  at  his 
innermost  convictions,  and  he  met  it  with  all  the  history, 
theory  and  moral  earnestness  at  his  command.  A  news- 
paper account  of  one  of  his  lectures  (on  another  subject) 
says,  "The  lecturer  concluded  with  a  very  forceful  and  elo- 
quent plea  for  bimetallism  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  whether 
the  audience  agreed  with  the  speaker  on  this  economic 
question  or  not,  they  were  all  delighted  with  his  courage 


56  FRANKLIN   SPENCER  SPALDING 

and  earnestness."  A  presidential  election  in  the  United 
States,  when  a  great  issue  is  at  stake,  presents  to  the  world 
the  thrilling  spectacle  of  a  great  people  going  to  school. 
The  nation,  by  fixing  its  attention  for  a  few  weeks  upon  one 
common  problem,  in  the  give  and  take  of  free  discussion, 
thinks  its  way  to  a  solution.  In  that  inspiring  democratic 
enterprise  Frank  Spalding  played  his  part  as  an  American 
citizen.  On  the  public  platform  as  in  the  pulpit  what 
impressed  his  hearers  was  the  moral  courage  and  the  enthu- 
siastic earnestness  of  the  man  himself. 


VI 

The  Parish  House 

On  Easter  Day,  1897,  St.  Paul's  Church,  Erie,  Pennsyl- 
vania, extended  a  unanimous  call  to  Frank  Spalding  to 
become  their  rector.  After  long  hesitation,  due  to  his  deep 
feeling  that  he  belonged  in  the  West,  and  only  under  the 
urging  of  his  parents  who  saw  that  his  talent  was  that  of 
preacher  rather  than  that  of  teacher,  he  accepted.  The 
announcement  of  his  decision  was  received  by  St.  Paul's 
with  delight,  for  he  had  been  born  in  Erie,  and  had  passed 
his  early  boyhood  and  every  alternate  vacation  there  since 
his  father  had  become  the  bishop  of  Colorado.  To  the  old 
parish  and  its  new  problems  he  brought  a  singularly  mature 
judgment  for  a  man  of  thirty-one,  great  decision  of  char- 
acter, unusual  executive  ability,  a  scholarly  mind,  preach- 
ing ability  of  a  high  order  and,  especially,  a  big  heart  and 
manly  traits  which  were  soon  to  endear  him  to  all. 

St.  Paul's  Parish,  organized  in  1827,  was  the  oldest  Epis- 
copal Church  in  Erie,  and  one  of  the  strongest  parishes  of 
the  Diocese  of  Pittsburgh.  In  the  rectorship  of  Frank 
Spalding's  father,  1 862-1 874,  a  new  edifice  costing  sixty 
thousand  dollars  had  been  built,  and  cottage  lectures  and 
mothers'  meetings,  out  of  which  afterwards  grew  several 
self-supporting  parishes,  had  been  organized  in  various 
parts  of  the  growing  city ;  moreover,  sixteen  churches  had 
been  built  in  the  deanery.  After  the  removal  of  Bishop 
Spalding  to  Colorado  the  parish  experienced  short  rector- 

57 


58  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

ates,  innovations  of  ritual,  with  consequent  disturb- 
ances, and  finally,  the  defection  of  a  small  portion  of  the 
people  who  desired  "Catholic  practices."  When  Frank 
Spalding  arrived  upon  the  scene  St.  Paul's  was  not  the 
thriving,  missionary  parish  it  had  been.  The  vestry  apolo- 
getically urged  their  former  rector,  the  Bishop,  to  persuade 
his  son  to  accept  their  call  in  spite  of  the  reduced  salary 
which  they  offered.  Erie  had  grown,  but  St.  Paul's  had 
neither  grown  with  it  nor  adapted  its  work  to  the  new  tasks 
and  problems  of  the  modern  city.  To  make  a  modern 
parish  of  an  old  church  was  the  mission  of  Frank  Spalding 
in  Erie. 

With  his  usual  humor  he  writes  to  his  cousin,  daughter 
of  a  Presbyterian  minister. 

Jar  vis  Hall,  May  i,  1896. 

What  do  you  think  of  my  living  in  Erie  ?  I  am  not  sure  about 
it  myself.  But  there  was  nothing  else  to  be  done.  If  you  happen 
to  be  going  along  Seventh  Street  I  wish  you  would  drop  in  at 
the  rectory  and  see  what  kind  of  a  place  it  is  and  whether  there 
is  any  furniture  in  it.  If  not,  I'll  have  to  borrow  some  blankets 
and  camp  out  until  I  can  buy  some.  I  am  afraid  I'll  shock  those 
people  with  "wild  western  ways."  Rev.  Mr.  H.  who  is  a  great 
dude,  told  me  that  it  would  do  me  good  to  go  east  for  awhile  to 
polish  up,  so  remember  that  you  have  to  help  accomplish  that 
difficult  job.  There  is  one  good  thing  about  being  in  Erie ;  I 
can  do  what  I  can,  though  possibly  it  is  little  and  hopeless  as  well, 
to  stop  the  further  growth  of  Presbyterian  heresy  and  schism 
which  you  are  spreading  there.  I  hope  to  see  you  July  1,  or 
thereabouts." 

Spalding  finished  his  work  at  Jarvis  Hall  with  the  June 
commencement,  and,  in  characteristic  fashion,  straightway 
entered  upon  his  new  duties  on  the  first  Sunday  of  July. 
The  church  was  filled  both  morning  and  evening  with  mem- 


THE   PARISH   HOUSE  59 

bers  of  the  congregation  and  other  admirers  of  the  new 
rector.  Preaching  without  notes,  he  spoke  in  the  morning 
on  the  unity  of  faith  and  work  in  a  modern  parish,  and, 
in  the  evening,  on  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God  as  essen- 
tial to  the  perfect  man.  It  was  into  the  work  of  preaching 
that  he  threw  himself  that  first  year. 

To  His  Mother 

Erie,  1896. 

I  preached  in  the  morning  an  old  sermon  and  in  the  evening  a 
new  one.  I  do  not  know  yet  what  I  am  going  to  preach  about 
next  Sunday.  I  will  be  rather  glad  to  have  Advent  come  so 
that  there  will  be  special  subjects. 

I  am  preaching  sermons  on  the  Temptation  which  I  wrote  at 
All  Saints'  and  they  seem  to  me  to  be  just  as  good  as  anything  I 
can  write  now  and  the  people  speak  well  of  them  too.  Probably 
they  are  good  because  they  were  suggested  by  good  books.  We 
had  splendid  congregations  yesterday  both  morning  and  evening. 

I  find  that  with  my  address  and  Bible  class  I  can  not  get  up 
more  than  one  sermon  a  week.  This  afternoon  I  did  what  I 
hope  I  shall  never  do  again,  preached  an  extempore  sermon  pure 
and  simple,  on  Phil.  1:5.  I  had  been  so  busy  through  the  week 
that  I  really  did  not  have  time  to  get  up  a  sermon,  and  I  did 
pretty  poorly.  There  is  so  much  to  do  that  I  hardly  get  time 
to  read. 

Mr.  A.  disappointed  me  on  Thursday  and  I  had  to  preach  an 
old  sermon.  I  selected  one  that  I  had  preached  in  the  Cathedral 
on  one  of  the  Sunday  evenings  I  took  the  Dean's  place.  I  re- 
membered it  and  thought  it  was  good,  but  when  I  came  to  read 
it  over  I  discovered  that  I  had  changed  my  opinion  about  some 
things  in  it  and  so  I  couldn't  very  well  preach  it  just  as  it  was, 
and  in  its  changed  form  it  didn't  go  very  well. 

1897. 
I  would  not  feel  so  good  for  nothing  if  it  wasn't  for  the  preach- 
ing.    Do  you  know  that  I  have  made  240  sermons  and  addresses 


60  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

since  I  came  here,  and  last  year,  according  to  the  convention 
journal  only  170  were  made  by  the  three  ministers  in  Calvary 
Church,  Pittsburgh.  It  makes  me  ashamed  of  myself  to  think 
what  a  gas  bag  I  must  be,  and  yet  I  do  not  see  how  it  can  be 
stopped.  I  sort  of  feel  as  if  I  was  saying  nothing  at  all  in  the 
sermon.  It  is  certainly  harder  to  preach  extempore  than  simply 
to  read.  I  know  I  am  improving  as  far  as  use  of  words  and 
flow  of  language  is  concerned,  but  in  the  matter  of  the  sermon, 
I  sometimes  feel  as  if  I  said  nothing  at  all,  and  that  I  had  said 
all  I  know  or  can  know  and  I  do  not  seem  to  have  much  time 
to  learn  more.  That  silly  woman  who  writes  to  you  about  my 
sermons  makes  me  tired  and  all  the  more  uncertain  of  myself. 
Can  the  sermons  really  amount  to  much  if  they  only  appeal  to 
old  women? 

•  •••••  • 

Don't  think  I  am  an  invalid  and  need  a  rest  for  I  do  not  think 
that  I  do.  Only  the  preaching  is  a  worry  for  I  want  to  set  a 
high  standard  and  not  fall  below.  And  sometimes  I  wonder 
what  in  the  world  I  am  going  to  be  able  to  say  next  Sunday. 
I  admit  that  I  usually  find  some  text  before  Sunday  comes  but 
I  worry  a  little  more  than  I  should.  I  wish  I  had  a  more  general 
reading  than  I  have  and  it  is  my  own  fault  for  you  used  to  try 
to  make  me  and  I  wouldn't  read  good  things. 

•  •••••• 

I  got  along  pretty  well  on  Sunday,  though  I  used,  I  think, 
my  very  last  old  sermon,  fit  to  use,  and  now  I  will  have  either 
to  use  again  in  the  evening  last  year's  morning  sermons  or  get 
up  two  a  week. 

I  am  not  sure  that  my  way  of  preparing  sermons  is  wise. 
When  I  have  preached  at  Trinity  in  the  afternoon,  I  always 
preach  that  sermon  better  at  night,  and  if  I  could  in  some  way 
preach  off  every  sermon  once  before  delivering  it  I  would  do 
better.  I  am  going  to  be  more  careful  about  delivery ;  I  think, 
though,  that  I  am  improving  some. 

It  seems  very  strange  that  often  people  say  the  sermons  upon 
which  the  least  time  is  put  are  the  best,  which  convinces  me  that 


THE   PARISH   HOUSE  6l 

the  complimentary  things  people  say  are  rather  worthless  judg- 
ments. 

In  answer  to  a  letter  from  his  sister  teasing  him  for  being 
unable  to  say  no  and  for  thinking  he  could  talk  on  any 
subject,  he  wrote : 

"All  you  say  is  true.  Both  the  reasons  you  propose  are  cor- 
rect. I  am  both  weak  and  conceited,  although  I  hope  it's  more 
the  first  than  the  second,  for  I  do  try  to  be  humble  and  though 
I  may  do  all  this  talking  and  preaching  no  one  knows  better  than 
I.  I  know  that  the  most  I  say  is  simply  rot.  But,  Sallie,  what 
is  a  man  to  do  ?  I  climb  a  mountain  in  Wyoming  and  write  out 
an  account  of  it.  Mr.  Taylor  at  Warren  tells  me  it  will  be  a 
great  help  to  him  if  I  will  tell  the  story  to  the  people  there.  He 
has  been  kind  to  me  and  I  want  to  be  kind  to  him.  I  tell  him 
honestly  that  I  do  not  think  it  will  be  worth  hearing  and  I  mean 
it.  He  thinks  differently  and  so  I  go  to  Warren.  Uncle  Rob 
asks  me  to  deliver  the  same  thing  before  the  Chestnut  Street 
Church.  He  knows  what  it  is  and  says  the  people  want  to  hear 
it.  You  yourself  would  be  too  weak  to  say  no  to  Uncle  Rob  and 
so  I  do  that.  Miss  Mary  Selden  comes  and  says  the  newsboys 
are  anxious  to  hear  about  climbing  the  mountains.  I  know  what 
self  denying  work  she  is  doing  and  by  this  time  I  am  forced  to 
think  the  mountain  climb  is  interesting.     So  why  shouldn't  I  go  ? 

The  Rev.  Willis  K.  Crosby  is  doing  really  a  good  work  among 
the  working  people  in  the  east  end  of  Erie.  When  times  were 
so  hard  two  years  ago  he  got  up  a  factory  and  let  as  many  unem- 
ployed as  wanted  to  run  it  on  the  co-operative  plan.  They  made 
a  patent  dust  pan  and  so  a  good  many  had  a  living  out  of  it.  He 
gets  the  men  together  to  study  interesting  facts.  He  asked  me 
whether  I  couldn't  come  some  evening  and  talk  to  them  on  some 
subject.  I  told  him  I  did  not  know  anything.  Finally,  he  sug- 
gested some  travels.  I  had  lectured  for  Uncle  Rob  about  mining 
in  Colorado  and  I  asked  him  if  that  would  be  any  good  and  he 
said  it  would.     I  have  also  told  this  tale  several  times. 


62  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

G.  C.  is  one  of  our  communicants  and  a  fine  boy.  He  is  in 
charge  of  the  boys'  department  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  A  little  while 
ago  he  had  an  offer  to  go  to  St.  Louis  and  do  the  same  work  and 
get  a  lot  more  pay.  He  came  to  me  and  told  me  that  he  thought 
he  ought  to  stay  here,  that  the  work  was  just  beginning  and 
that  it  might  all  fail  if  he  left,  and  I  told  him  he  must  stay  and 
said  I  would  help  him  all  I  could.  So  he  asked  me  to  tell  the 
boys  on  a  rainy  Saturday  afternoon  about  mining  for  gold  in 
Colorado  and  Idaho.  He  also  asked  me  to  speak  at  the  boys' 
meeting.     You  know  I  like  to  talk  to  boys  and  it  was  a  pleasure 

to    speak   to    180   boys  the   other   Sunday.     When  Mrs.  

came  to  ask  me  to  speak  on  art,  it  struck  me  as  a  big  joke  and 
just  to  have  it  on  Elisabeth  I  thought  I'd  say  yes.  It  was  very 
very  silly  and  I  felt  ashamed  of  myself  afterward  when  I  saw 
how  well  prepared  the  others  were. 

You  know  one  likes  to  be  useful.  It  seems  so  little  to  do  what 
other  people  want  you  to  do  when  they  think  your  doing  it  will 
help  them,  and  besides  I  know  I  get  along  better  if  I  am  very 
busy.  If  I  have  lots  of  time  to  myself  I  get  to  thinking  about 
things  which  make  me  unhappy.  If  one  has  a  lot  of  things  which 
must  be  done  then  he  simply  has  to  do  them  and  his  thoughts  are 
not  on  himself.  As  to  preaching  better,  I  know  I  ought  to  but 
I  am  afraid  that  I  have  not  got  in  me  the  power  of  application 
which  will  ever  make  me  a  great  preacher.  I  do  not  seem  to  be 
able  to  get  into  the  heart  of  things  but  only  little  bits  of  the 
surface.  Father  once  told  me  that  I  would  never  be  able  to 
write  anything  unless  it  was  a  novel.  And  so  isn't  it  possible  that 
this  shallow  talking  is  what  I  am  made  to  do,  and  if  it  is  not 
useful  it  is  because  I  am  not  intended  to  be  useful.  I  suppose 
no  one  could  doubt  for  a  moment  that  a  man  who  paints  a  great 
picture  of  a  great  subject  is  a  greater  painter  than  one  who 
makes  a  lot  of  pretty  illustrations.  But  where  there  is  one  who 
can  do  it,  there  are  a  dozen  illustrators.  If  I  could  by  studying 
harder,  by  refusing  to  see  the  people  who  come  to  call,  by  never 
making  any  speeches  but  just  my  sermons,  really  preach  great 
sermons  then  I  would  be  justified  in  so  doing,  but  I  know  I  cannot 


THE    PARISH  HOUSE  63 

preach  great  sermons  and,  knowing  that,  I  can  possibly  be  more 
useful  in  just  doing  the  feeble  things  I  am  doing. 

But  in  a  way  it  does  help  St.  Paul's,  surprising  as  it  may  be, . 
for  the  Sunday  evening  congregations  are  growing  and  many  of 
the  men  who  come  are  those  whom  I  have  become  acquainted 
with  when  I  have  been  gadding  about.  I  will  try  to  be  more 
humble  about  it  for  I  know  that  I  am  getting  conceited  and 
I  hate  that  more  than  anything  else. 

The  size  of  the  congregations  at  both  morning  and  even- 
ing service  grew  steadily.  One  of  the  vestry,  of  whom 
another  member  said,  "  whenever  he  takes  snufl  all  the  vestry 
sneeze,"  decided  that  the  immediate  need  of  the  parish  was 
the  enlargement  of  the  church,  and,  on  his  own  initiative, 
accordingly  had  plans  made.  Spalding,  however,  had  been 
studying  the  needs  of  Erie  and  he  decided  that  what  the 
community  needed  was  a  well-equipped  parish  house  and 
the  service  to  the  boys  and  girls  which  it  would  make  pos- 
sible. "  I  have  just  had  a  little  experience  of  the  delight  of 
St.  Paul's  to  fight,"  Frank  wrote  to  his  father,  "I  can  see 
that  if  this  Parish  House  is  built  and  every  one  kept  peace- 
able I  shall  have  to  be  very  wise  and  very  harmless."  And 
then  he  told  in  detail  of  his  vestryman's  inconsistency  and 
his  demand  for  an  apology  from  another  vestryman.     "The 

whole  thing  is  an  attempt  of  to  boss  the  whole  job 

and  that's  right  enough  if  he  does  it  well.  But  it  is  going 
to  be  hard  for  me  to  be  bossed  by  him  or  any  one  else  if  he 
don't  want  what  I  want.  And  I  do  not  think  I  can  take 
from  him  or  anyone  else  what  T.  took  according  to  his  own 
account.  Well,  there  is  no  cause  for  trouble  yet  but  I  con- 
fess I  begin  to  understand  where  other  rectors  had  difficulty 
in  uniting  the  parish.  Though  it  is  amusing  too.  A.  C. 
puts  a  financial  value  on  everything ;  —  the  only  good  man 
to  have  on  the  vestry  or  in  the  church  is  the  man  who  will 


64  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

give."  While  everyone  was  talking  of  the  size  of  the  con- 
gregations and  the  vestry  were  planning  enlargements  of 
the  building,  Spalding  quietly  had  the  people  counted.  He 
was  himself  disappointed  with  the  discovery,  but  it  was  an 
effective  demonstration  of  his  contention.  In  a  Church 
which  seated  seven  hundred  the  largest  congregation  at  any 
one  service  was  three  hundred  and  thirteen  ! 

In  the  light  of  these  figures  the  talk  of  enlarging  the 
church  was  absurd  and  the  vestry  unanimously  decided 
to  build  the  parish  house.  His  suggestion  that  they  inves- 
tigate the  whole  matter  of  parish  houses  received  cordial 
support  and  he  was  sent  to  Philadelphia  and  New  York 
to  see  what  other  parishes  had  done.  It  was  characteristic 
of  him  that  when  he  had  a  hard  problem  to  solve  he  first 
solved  it  himself  and  then  before  announcing  his  conclusion 
turned  to  others  for  all  the  light  they  might  be  able  to  throw 
upon  it.  He  found  in  Philadelphia  "much  money  spent 
but  not  many  ideas,  and  in  Germantown  an  idea  or  two." 
In  Brooklyn  he  stayed  with  Dr.  McConnell  who  was  himself 
building  a  parish  house,  and  was  deeply  impressed  with  his 
advice  not  to  let  parish  work  interfere  with  preaching  and 
the  study  which  good  preaching  required.  He  visited  va- 
rious types  of  parish  houses  in  New  York  and  discovered 
that  a  skilled  workman  can  make  good  use  of  any  tool  and 
the  best  tool  in  the  hand  of  a  poor  workman  is  useless. 
He  returned  to  Erie  with  a  clarified  idea  of  the  type  of  build- 
ing which  could  be  built  on  the  lot  53  X  70  and  the  kind  of 
parish  work  which  could  effectively  be  done  in  it.  The 
vestry  followed  their  rector's  suggestions  and  the  parish 
house  began  to  take  definite  shape. 

Meanwhile,  Spalding  devoted  all  his  energy  and  time  to 
the  pastoral  and  prophetic  work  of  his  parish.  "It  is  get- 
ting so  that  I  have  no  time  to  myself  alone  and  I  am  going 


THE   PARISH   HOUSE  65 

to  have  office  hours  just  as  soon  as  I  can  decide  which  will 
be  the  most  convenient.  I  have  had  seven  calls  since  I 
began  this  letter."  The  rectory  was  on  the  way  between 
the  office  district  and  the  residential  section  and  the  club 
where  many  of  his  men  took  lunch,  and  they  had  a  way  of 
dropping  in  going  and  coming.  There  were  many  sick 
people  and  because  of  these  sick  calls  the  general  calling 
on  the  parishioners  progressed  slowly.  On  Wednesday 
evenings  he  had  a  Bible  class;  on  Saturday  afternoons  in 
Lent  he  told  stories  to  the  children  of  the  parish;  and  on 
other  days  had  a  daily  service.  As  soon  as  he  got  an  assist- 
ant he  had  a  children's  service  at  St.  Paul's  Sunday  after- 
noon; he  had  two  Confirmation  classes  to  prepare  in  one 
year ;  on  Sundays,  there  was  an  early  service  at  7.30,  and, 
once  a  month,  at  Trinity,  followed  by  Sunday  School  at 
9.30,  Morning  Prayer  and  sermon  at  n,  afternoon  service 
and  sermon  at  Trinity  Mission,  evening  service  and  ser- 
mon. In  addition  to  these  regular  demands  there  was  fre- 
quently a  funeral  on  Sunday  or  an  address  before  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Then,  too,  he  had  a  large  correspondence 
which  he  carried  on  with  his  own  hand.  "This  is  the  tenth 
letter  this  a.m.,"  he  writes.  "I  wish  I  could  get  more 
time  for  reading  and  study,  but  it  is  hard  work  doing  any- 
thing. So  many  sick  and  so  many  other  things  to  attend 
to."  In  spite  of  the  incessant  interruptions  and  the  urgent 
demands  upon  his  energy,  he  wrote  home,  "After  Jarvis 
Hall  this  is  a  perfect  snap,  the  people  are  so  easily  satisfied. 
One's  sense  of  duty  is  a  funny  thing.  I  have  not  yet  got 
to  feeling  quite  as  if  I  ought  to  have  left  Jarvis  Hall  and  it 
seems  to  me  that  I  have  come  to  such  an  easy  place." 

In  the  pressure  of  such  activities  he  found  no  time  for 
physical  exercise,  other  than  walking  on  his  parish  calls, 
which  was  not  enough  for  a  man  of  his  physique  and  vital- 


66  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

ity.  Mr.  Montgomery  who  became  his  assistant  at  this 
time,  says,  "While  writing  I  should  say  that  his  brain  was 
working  under  great  pressure  for  he  would  draw  in  his 
breath  like  a  man  straining  with  his  muscles."  At  the  end 
of  the  week,  however,  he  broke  away  and  found  relief  and 
recreation  in  his  favorite  game  of  foot-ball.  "  I  played  foot- 
ball on  Saturday  and  got  the  prettiest  pair  of  black  eyes 
you  ever  saw.  I  wore  my  spectacles  on  Sunday  all  the  time 
and  they  were  pretty  well  hidden,  but  on  Monday  they 
were  even  blacker  and  to-day  they  are  going  through  the 
yellow  green  stage.  I  enjoyed  the  game,  though,  and  know 
that  it  did  me  good.  You  see  there  is  so  much  sick  visiting 
and  talking  to  women  and  holding  babies  that  to  get  out 
with  men  in  hard  manly  sport  is  refreshing.  I  do  not  mean 
that  the  other  is  not  manly  but  one  likes  a  change  and  the 
sterner,  rougher  side  is  needed.  It  has  made  me  acquainted 
with  more  men  than  in  any  other  way  I  have  been  able  to 
find."  While  Spalding  was  on  the  foot-ball  field  there  was 
less  swearing  and  quarreling  and  he  was  certainly  doing  as 
much  good  as  if  he  were  calling  on  the  sick,  of  which  he  had 
enough  to  do. 

Interested  in  men  and  believing  in  the  manliness  of 
Christ,  Spalding  was  a  fisher  of  men.  As  a  boy  he  was  an 
enthusiastic  fisherman  and  as  a  minister  of  the  Galilean  he 
carried  the  boy's  enthusiasm  and  skill  into  the  pursuit  of 
men.  He  gathered  a  small  group  of  men  together  to  form 
a  chapter  of  the  Brotherhood  of  St.  Andrew  and  set  them 
also  to  fish  for  men.  "We  got  our  brotherhood  started  on 
Thursday  night  with  Mr.  Shacklett  for  Director  and  Mr. 
George  Barber  for  Secretary.  I  hope  it  will  go.  If  it  gets 
the  young  men  of  the  church  really  interested  what  a  shak- 
ing up  it  will  give  old  St.  Paul's  Church  !  Some  of  the  men 
are  dead  in  earnest  and  mean  really  to  try  to  get  men  to 


THE   PARISH  HOUSE  67 

come  to  church  and  if  they  come  there  will  not  be  room 

for  Mrs.  to  occupy  a  whole  pew,  and  several  others 

who  do  the  same.  Possibly  it  may  lead  to  free  seats  which 
I  believe  in  with  all  my  heart."  Like  a  good  fisherman  he 
knew  that  all  fish  do  not  rise  to  the  same  bait,  and  he  ar- 
ranged a  series  of  Sunday  evening  subjects  to  catch  men  to 
whom  the  regular  morning  service  did  not  appeal.  With 
the  Brotherhood  extending  a  personal  invitation  to  indi- 
vidual men  and  the  preacher  giving  them  something  when 
they  came,  there  was  indeed  a  shaking  up  of  old  St.  Paul's. 
By  vote  of  the  congregation  the  seats  were  made  free  at  the 
evening  service  in  order  to  seat  promptly  all  who  .came 
in  the  best  seats  and  to  assure  them  of  a  hearty  welcome  on 
the  part  of  the  parish. 

Though  a  man's  man,  Spalding  was  the  minister  of  all, 
women  as  well  as  men,  rich  no  less  than  poor.  What  his 
real  feeling  was  is  shown  in  the  following  letter. 

To  His  Mother 

"Got  home  from  the  dinner  at  midnight  and  will  write  you  a 

line  or  two.     The house  is  most  magnificent.     I  was  never 

in  such  a  place.  It  is  like  the  English  castles,  only  everything  is 
new  and  beautiful,  and,  I  should  think,  in  wonderfully  good 
taste.  But  I  would  rather  live  in  a  shack  against  a  rock  up  the 
Platte  than  in  such  a  place.  The  dinner  beat  anything  I  have 
ever  seen.  The  table  was  nothing  but  silver  and  gold.  You  must 
not  think  that  I  am  getting  to  be  cynical  and  critical  and  un- 
charitable about  everyone,  for  I  don't  think  I  am.  But  you  are 
the  only  person  I  can  express  my  candid  sentiments  to  and  it  is 
a  relief  to  do  it. 

It's  a  relief  to  go  and  see  poor  people  and  sick  people,  they  are 

so  glad  to  see  you.     Did  you  ever  know ?     She  used  to  live 

on  a  farm  and  come  in  to  market  and  yesterday  afternoon  I  went 
to  give  her  Easter  communion.     The  real  religious  joy  of  that  old 


68  FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 

lady,  nearly  eighty  and  so  crippled  with  rheumatism  that  she  can 
not  walk,  made  me  feel  happy  enough  to  get  cheerfully  through 
Mrs. 's  grandeur  and  deadness." 

One  of  the  memorable  institutions  in  St.  Paul's  during 
Frank  Spalding's  rectorship  was  the  children's  service. 
It  was  held  on  Sunday  afternoons  in  the  church,  and  the 
choral  part  was  rendered  entirely  by  boys  and  girls ;  even 
the  versicles  were  intoned  by  a  boy  chorister.  Boys  also 
took  up  the  offering.  In  place  of  a  sermon  Spalding  told 
a  story.  He  made  use  of  children's  historical  novels,  tell- 
ing the  tale  and,  after  the  fashion  of  serial  stories  ending  at 
an  exciting  place  with  "continued  in  our  next."  In  this 
way  he  covered  the  entire  period  of  Church  history.  On  the 
special  feasts  he  would  tell  stories  that  had  the  special 
messages.  Children  came  in  large  numbers  to  the  services 
and  found  them  interesting  and  at  times  exciting.  The 
series  of  children's  services  came  to  an  end  each  year  on 
Ascension  Day,  when,  after  the  festival  service,  there  was 
a  grand  supper  in  the  parish  house. 

Though  fully  occupied  with  his  work  and  plans  for  St. 
Paul's,  Frank  Spalding  never  forgot  that  he  was  a  missionary 
and  his  field  was  the  world.  His  interest  included  the  dio- 
cese and  the  work  of  the  general  Church.  Recognizing  his 
interest  the  Bishop  urged  him  to  be  the  "reviver"  of  the 
convocation  of  the  northern  part  of  the  diocese  which  had 
not  been  held  for  four  years.  That  invitation  he  declined 
on  the  ground  that  he  had  been  so  short  a  time  in  the  dio- 
cese and  did  not  want  to  seem  to  tell  other  men  their  duty. 
The  West  particularly  was  uppermost  in  his  thoughts  and 
he  not  only  kept  it  before  his  own  people  as  worthy  of  their 
financial  support  but  he  spoke  about  it  in  many  churches 
and  before  the  diocesan  convention.  He  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Court  and  was  elected  alternate 


THE    PARISH   HOUSE  69 

deputy  to  the  General  Convention  of  1898.  "I  don't 
want  to  hear  any  more  objections  to  my  orthodoxy,"  he 
wrote  to  his  sister.  Clergymen  asked  his  advice  on  all 
sorts  of  questions  which  perplexed  them,  and  profited  by  his 
clearness  of  thought.  As  early  as  1898  Frank  Spalding 
was  looked  upon  by  some  as  a  possible  missionary  bishop. 
Bishop  Tuttle  nominated  him  for  that  office  in  the  House 
of  Bishops,  but  his  time  had  not  yet  come. 

In  September,  1898,  after  many  vexatious  delays,  the 
new  parish  house  was  opened.  It  was  the  most  complete 
building  of  its  kind  outside  of  the  great  Eastern  cities.  It 
had  gymnasium  with  baths,  an  auditorium  seating  500, 
rooms  for  classes  and  guilds,  a  large  game  room  for  boys  and 
a  reading  room,  kitchen  and  dining  room.  St.  Paul's  was 
now  equipped  with  the  necessary  tools  for  effective  service 
in  a  modern  city. 

In  building  the  parish  house  Spalding  had  in  mind  the 
work  of  the  organizations  of  the  parish  and  the  needs  of  the 
community.  The  Sunday  school  was  first.  What  he  had 
learned  as  the  principal  of  a  boys'  school  he  applied  to  the 
religious  teaching  of  children.  Religious  education  de- 
manded as  efficient  machinery  as  secular  education.  The 
parish  house  was  the  school  house.  There  was  a  daily 
free  kindergarten.  The  Woman's  Auxiliary  and  other 
guilds  which  had  met  in  the  rectory  or  some  private  resi- 
dence were  now  properly  housed,  as  was  the  Brotherhood 
of  St.  Andrew.  The  physical,  recreational  and  social 
needs  of  the  children  were  also  in  his  mind.  In  the  gym- 
nasium and  play  room  the  church  was  to  serve  the  boys  and 
girls  on  the  six  days  of  the  week  as  in  the  auditorium  and 
elsewhere  it  would  minister  to  them  on  the  first  day.  A 
branch  of  the  Girls'  Friendly  Society  with  a  membership  of 
fifty  young  women  was  started.     Young  men  were  reached 


70  FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 

by  means  of  a  men's  club,  the  St.  Paul's  Club,  which  within 
a  short  time  had  two  hundred  members.  The  parish  house 
and  church,  standing  side  by  side,  were  a  symbol  of  the  desire 
of  the  Church  to  serve  the  whole  man,  body  as  well  as  soul, 
soul  no  less  than  body,  and  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  com- 
munity, not  one  day  but  seven  days  of  the  week.  As  in 
the  villages  of  New  England  the  white  church  beside  the 
Common,  where  it  was  seen  of  all  men,  was  a  vital  symbol  of 
the  place  of  religion  in  the  life  of  the  village,  so  the  parish 
house  with  its  manifold  ministry  became  a  symbol  of  the 
place  of  religion  in  the  life  of  the  modern  city. 


VII 

Spiritual  Growth 

Frank  Spalding,  as  we  have  seen,  entered  the  theologi- 
cal seminary  a  High  Churchman  by  inheritance.  College 
aroused  in  him  no  doubts  nor,  apparently,  any  desire  to 
restate  his  traditional  faith  in  terms  of  modern  thought. 
In  the  Seminary  he  was  presented  with  Catholic  teaching, 
which,  like  that  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  was  based 
entirely  on  tradition.  Something  in  the  very  construction 
of  his  mind  rebelled  against  this  dogmatism,  and  he  grad- 
uated from  the  Seminary  without  any  theology  which 
sprang  spontaneously  and  naturally  out  of  life  and  experi- 
ence. For  the  first  four  years  of  his  ministry  he  was 
engaged  in  teaching  boys;  a  fruitful  apprenticeship,  but 
one  which  naturally  did  not  conduce  to  the  development 
of  religious  experience  and  a  corresponding  theological  inter- 
pretation. It  was  when  he  entered  upon  his  rich  and 
varied  ministry  in  Erie,  with  its  intimate  contact  with 
mature  religious  experience  and  its  wider  reading  of  books 
dealing  with  modern  problems,  that  he  found  his  intel- 
lectual self. 

A  certain  bishop  once  confessed  to  Spalding  that  he 
found  no  time  to  read  anything  other  than  the  Church 
papers.  Spalding  straightway  resolved  that  he  would 
profit  by  this  example  of  intellectual  torpor.  He  accord- 
ingly set  for  himself  a  schedule;  the  early  hours  of  the 
morning  were  to  be  devoted  to  reading,  and  he  would  read 

71 


72  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

in  that  period  worthwhile  books,  new  and  old.  Professor 
Kemper  Fullerton,  of  Oberlin  College,  a  lifelong  friend  of 
Spalding,  writes,  "I  think  all  who  knew  Spalding  after  he 
entered  his  life  work  were  amazed  at  the  amount  of  reading 
he  was  able  to  accomplish,  engrossed  as  he  was  in  the  prac- 
tical affairs  of  his  parish  or  diocese.  It  was  not  reading  of 
the  predigested  sort  which  too  many  clergymen  gradually 
come  to  rely  upon  and  which  is  to  be  found  in  the  weekly 
religious  newspapers.  He  read  the  great  quarterlies  and 
reviews,  and  books  that  required  a  real  mental  effort  to 
assimilate.  It  was  a  constant  source  of  surprise  to  me,  when 
we  met  together  for  our  annual  summer  vacations,  to  dis- 
cover the  extent  of  his  reading  during  the  previous  winter, 
much  of  it  a  highly  technical  character,  but  all  of  it  well 
digested,  the  real  kernel  of  a  book  or  review  article  having 
been  skillfully  picked  out  of  its  shell.  It  was  in  this  way 
that  Frank  sought  to  make  good  the  loss  which  he  had  suf- 
fered in  his  college  and  seminary  days.". 

To  His  Mother 

March  21,  1898. 

I  am  sorry  we  can't  agree  about  the  Bible.  I  don't  know  I 
am  sure  why  I  came  to  think  about  it  as  I  do  because  I  haven't 
read  very  much  and  you  taught  me  to  think  as  you  do.  But 
without  any  violent  change,  without  any  doubts,  I  have  sort  of 
gradually  passed  over  into  a  different  way  of  looking  at  the  whole 
subject.  I  am  sure  it  does  mean  a  lot  to  me  while  the  old  view 
didn't  mean  anything  at  all  for  I  didn't  think  for  myself  then. 
I  can't  believe  that  the  Devil  has  tempted  me,  for  really  I  know 
God  is  more  real  to  me  now  than  he  ever  was  before  and  I  haven't 
any  doubt  about  Him  and  His  help  and  what  my  own  duty  is. 
And  surely  that  help  doesn't  come  from  the  Devil.  I'd  ten 
times  rather  think  of  Abraham  as  a  splendid  pioneer,  believing 
in  one  God  and  yet  tempted  all  the  time  to  adopt  a  lower  form  of 


SPIRITUAL   GROWTH  73 

living  but  bravely  resisting  and  proving  faithful  to  the  end,  than 
to  think  of  Him  as  different  from  other  men  and  in  some  way 
especially  helped  and  taught  as  God  does  not  help  and  teach  me. 

As  to  Higher  Criticism,  I  don't  know  anything  about  it.  I 
can't  even  find  out  much,  but  it  does  seem  to  me  that  this  talk 
of  disagreement  of  authorities  is  not  justified  for  there  does  seem 
to  be  agreement  upon  a  great  deal  of  the  criticism.  But  the 
point  is  that  one  does  not  wish  to  hang  his  belief  in  inspiration 
and  revelation  upon  something  which  is  bound  utterly  to  give 
way  if  the  Higher  Criticism  is  true. 

It  almost  frightens  me,  however,  when  I  write  down  what  I 
actually  believe  progressive  revelation  must  involve  about  Old 
Testament  miracles  and  communications  from  God. 

Nevertheless,  Spalding  did  write  down  what  he  thought, 
and  read  it  as  an  essay  before  Convocation.  The  subject 
was  "The  Bible  and  how  we  must  think  of  it  to-day,"  and 
he  divided  it  into  three  sections  :  (i)  The  Bible  is  a  pro- 
gressive revelation;  (2)  The  men  were  inspired,  not  the 
Book;  (3)  The  Church  produced  the  Bible  and  not  the 
Bible  the  Church.  The  paper  stirred  up  the  brethren  and 
an  exciting  discussion  followed.  Spalding  wrote  to  his 
sister  that  some  of  the  brethren  were  interested  not  in  "How 
to  think  but  how  to  get  along  without  thinking.  But  the 
Bishop  made  a  good  closing  speech  in  which  he  approved  of 
the  paper  in  fine  shape."  He  sent  the  paper  to  his  father 
and  awaited  his  answer  with  some  anxiety.  Bishop  Spald- 
ing found  fault  with  the  essay  because  of  its  attitude  toward 
miracles,  inspiration  and  typology.  "Are  there  no  types 
in  the  Old  Testament,  are  events  and  persons  never  typ- 
ical?" Frank  replied  that  the  typology  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment as  taught  in  the  General  Theological  Seminary  re- 
duced historical  characters  to  puppets.  To  his  father's 
charge  that  the  paper  was  pure  rationalism  he  replied, 


74  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

"You  surely  wouldn't  prefer  to  have  it  irrational,  would 
you?" 

In  the  Episcopal  Church  many  men  accepted  the  results 
of  the  new  study  of  the  Bible  because  the  seat  of  religious 
authority  for  them  was  not  the  Bible  as  with  men  of  other 
Protestant  Churches,  but  the  Church.  It  was  their  con- 
tention that  the  Church  produced  the  Bible,  not  the  Bible 
the  Church.  When  driven  to  define  where  in  the  Church 
the  authority  resides,  they  fell  back  upon  the  Ecumenical 
Councils,  which  they  vested  with  infallibility.  In  reply 
to  such  arguments  Spalding  held  that  "the  General  Coun- 
cils were  no  more  infallible  than  the  Lambeth  Conference. 
I  do  not  believe  that  absolutely  infallible  authority  ever 
comes  in.  We  walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight."  When  the 
advocates  of  an  infallible  revelation  asked,  "Where,  then, 
are  we  to  find  ultimate  truth,"  he  replied,  "The  only  test 
of  truth  seems  to  be  time,  —  the  survival  of  the  fittest." 

To  His  Mother 

March  i,  1898. 

I  am  reading  Dr.  DuBose's  book  on  the  Ecumenical  Councils. 
If  I  had  read  it  before  writing  my  paper  I  could  have  had  some 
other  quotations  for  he  is  guilty  of  the  same  inconsistency  which 
I  object  to.  On  page  36  you  will  see  that  he  makes  all  depend 
upon  the  moral  argument.  If  one  says  that  to  him  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  way,  the  truth  and  the  life,  and  that  he  does  not  believe 
that  miracles  happened,  what  are  you  going  to  say  to  him  ?  Es- 
pecially after  you  have  insisted  that  Christianity  and  miracles 
cannot  be  separated.  There  are  a  lot  of  people  who  are  just  in 
that  position  and  lots  more  who  really  are  but  do  not  admit  it. 

About  this  time  one  of  Spalding's  classmates  in  the 
Seminary  resigned  from  the  ministry.  He  was  the  victim 
of  the  General  Theological    Seminary.     It  had  sent  him 


SPIRITUAL   GROWTH  75 

into  the  ministry  unprepared  to  work  out  his  own  intellec- 
tual salvation.  A  man  of  fine  mind  and  earnest  spirit, 
he  tried  to  meet  in  isolation  the  perplexing  theological 
questions  which  any  adequately  equipped  seminary  would 
have  presented  to  him  in  the  midst  of  his  fellows  and  under 
the  direction  of  older  and  scholarly  minds.  Spalding  tried 
to  help  his  friend  by  letter,  but  as  he  was  going  through  a 
like  experience,  he  began  to  fear  that  his  writing  did  more 
harm  than  good.  He  felt  very  badly  when  the  final  word 
came  from  his  friend  that  his  resignation  had  been  sent,  but 
he  believed  that  he  had  done  "the  only  honest  thing. " 
In  his  heart,  however,  he  thought  that  his  friend's  "trouble 
was  lack  of  trouble.  '  Before  I  was  troubled  I  went  wrong.' " 
His  was  a  suburban  parish  apart  from  the  pressing  problems 
of  common  life  and  he  spent  more  time  than  is  good  for  a 
man,  in  time  of  doubt,  on  the  intellectual  aspects  of  reli- 
gion. Frank  Spalding  gradually  passed  from  a  tran- 
scendent to  an  immanent  conception  of  the  Divine  Life,  in 
the  midst  of  the  common  life  where  the  demands  of  all  sorts 
of  men  kept  his  spiritual  balance  true. 

When  one  is  meeting  men  who  have  no  faith  in  God  or 
man  and  determine  their  lives  by  no  standard  of  right, 
following  expediency  and  seeking  success  and  pleasure,  he 
is  compelled  to  be  constructive  and  affirmative.  It  is  only 
a  man  of  conviction  who  can  restore  faith.  Spalding 
found  that  no  one  was  helped  by  what  he  did  not  believe. 
"One  wants,  if  he  can,"  he  wrote,  "to  put  it  so  that  it  will 
help."  He  therefore  preached  his  convictions.  But,  while 
positive  and  affirmative,  he  did  not  ignore  the  corollaries 
of  his  proposition ;  he  let  men  understand  where  he  stood. 
One  of  his  vestry,  a  young  man  like  himself,  would  fre- 
quently come  into  the  vestryroom  after  one  of  his  sermons, 
exclaiming,    "Another   prop   gone."     What   he   had   been 


76  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

thinking  essential  as  a  support  of  religion  Spalding  took 
away  Sunday  by  Sunday,  leaving  him,  however,  with  a 
firmer  appreciation  than  ever  of  true  religion,  the  love  of 
God  and  the  neighbor. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  he  wrote,  "one  wants  to  include  all 
partial  statements  in  a  bigger  whole,  not  to  take  the  time 
to  refute  them."  Thus  when  he  wished  to  preach  against 
sacerdotalism  in  the  Church  he  chose  for  his  subject,  "The 
Universal  Priesthood."  All  men  and  women  in  the  Church 
are  priests  and  priestesses,  as  all  are  kings  and  queens  in 
the  American  state.  "A  priest  offers  sacrifices,  and  we  are 
all  to  offer  the  sacrifice  of  ourselves.  The  priest  brings 
down  God's  blessing,  and  so  shall  we  all,  if  we  only  offer 
ourselves  to  God  so  that  He  can  bless  us."  For  clerical  as- 
sumption and  episcopal  arrogance  Spalding  found  no  place. 
"I  sometimes  wonder,"  he  writes  his  mother,  "whether 
the  English  notions  of  a  bishop  as  a  great  man  living  in  a 
palace  isn't  growing  so  that  bishops  in  the  East  who  think 
themselves  great  men  and  do  keep  up  fine  establishments 
don't  want  to  enlarge  the  class  too  much  for  fear  a  bishop 
will  be  a  less  wonderful  and  honored  being.  Having  the 
exalted  views  of  the  temporal  dignity  of  the  episcopate, 
they  let  the  money  question  stand  in  the  way  of  electing 
more.  I  never  could  understand  why  a  bishop  must  have 
a  salary  of  $3000.  The  danger  of  course  is  that  rich  men 
are  elected  just  because  they  are  rich  and  so  the  episcopate 
becomes  a  matter  of  purchase.  But  I  am  sure  every  good 
man  who  was  called  to  be  a  bishop  would  not  think  of  the 
salary  at  all,  if  bishops  were  not  expected  to  make  such  a 
fair  show  in  the  flesh.  It  seems  as  if,  in  order  to  be 
truly  apostolic  we  ought  to  have  bishops  everywhere. 
General  missionaries  and  archdeacons  ought  to  be  bishops 
if    they   really   could   do   better   work   having   authority 


SPIRITUAL   GROWTH  77 

which  priests  cannot  have.     I  suppose  you  will  think  this 
disrespectful." 

Spalding's  mind  was  concerned  not  merely  with  the 
externals  of  religion,  but  sought  reality  even  at  its  heart, 
the  life  of  prayer. 

To  His  Father 

Jan.  4,  1895. 

Do  you  really  believe  that  prayer  is  more  than  a  subjective 
thing?  I  am  beginning  to  feel  as  if  it  could  not  and  is  not 
intended  to  be  more.  This  is  not  saying  that  prayer  is  useless. 
I  could  not  have  stood  at  all  the  past  eight  months,  if  I 
had  not  prayed.  To  be  able  to  pour  out  one's  soul  to  God, 
to  tell  Him  what  you  long  for,  and  ask  His  help  to  make  you 
brave,  brings  with  it  a  relief  and  power  without  which  one 
simply  could  not  exist.  But  do  you  honestly  think  it  does 
anything  more  ?  I  don't  see  how  it  can  —  for  God  does  not 
move  people  against  their  wills,  and  when  our  prayers  are 
prayers  which  involve  the  actions  of  other  free  agents,  how  can 
God  answer  them? 

About  that  fixity  of  interpretation?  I  do  not  see  what  they 
or  rather  you  meant.  For  example,  "The  Resurrection  of  the 
body."  We  believe  that  article  of  the  creed  but  there  have  been 
great  differences  of  interpretation  as  to  what  the  words  mean. 
So  also  with,  "For  us  men  and  our  salvation,"  many  views  of 
salvation  have  been  maintained.  So  I  should  think  that  it  was 
not  fixity  of  interpretation  that  is  the  essence  of  creeds  but  rather 
that  the  essence  of  truth,  variously  interpreted,  is  that  for  which 
creeds  stand. 

We  had  an  interesting  discussion  at  the  ministers'  meeting~on 
Christian  unity  this  morning.  None  of  the  parsons  were  hopeful 
of  complete  organic  unity  and  most  of  them  doubted  whether 
it  would  be  a  good  thing.  I  insisted  that  both  the  prayer  of 
Jesus  and  the  analogies  He  used  about  the  kingdom  showed  that 
he  asked  for  organic  unity  and  that  the  Episcopal  Church  in- 
sisted upon  the  Historic  Episcopate  because  it  was  the  only  form 


78  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

of  government  and  life  which  could  be  in  any  sense  organic  and 
that  by  it  unity  for  hundreds  of  years  had  been  realized.  My 
remarks,  however,  did  not  create  any  interest  except  for  a  young 
Methodist  who  wants  to  read  something  on  the  Historic  Episco- 
pate as  he  knows  nothing  about  it. 

The  ministers'  meeting,  to  which  the  above  letter  refers, 

9 

was  the  weekly  gathering  of  all  the  Protestant  ministers  of 
Erie.  Spalding  accepted  an  election  to  its  membership  on 
going  to  Erie  and  remained  a  member  of  the  group  until 
he  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Utah.  The  meeting  brought 
together  various  types  of  men  and  points  of  view,  upon  a 
basis  of  good  fellowship,  and  made  for  a  better  understand- 
ing and  for  united  action.  "I  think  that  association  is  a 
very  good  thing  and,  without  in  the  least  compromising 
one's  principles,  one  can  learn  a  good  deal,  and  I  think  also 
have  some  influence."  Among  the  Erie  ministers  the  Rector 
of  St.  Paul's  was  known  as  a  radical  in  theology.  Logical 
in  his  mental  processes  and  always  frank,  he  gave  utter- 
ance to  opinions  which  frequently  shocked  the  more  con- 
servative, but  the  statement  of  which  always  commanded 
their  respect.  He  insisted  that  the  group  should  be  as 
inclusive  as  the  church  in  Erie.  When  an  attempt  was 
made  to  limit  the  membership  to  evangelical  Christians, 
Spalding  took  the  floor  and  declared  that  if  there  was  no 
place  for  the  Unitarian  minister  in  the  group  there  was  no 
place  for  the  rector  of  St.  Paul's.  The  Unitarian  minister 
was,  accordingly,  elected  to  membership.  In  most  of  the 
discussions  the  Unitarian,  Spalding  and  a  liberal  Presby- 
terian found  themselves  together  on  one  side  with  the 
majority  lined  up  on  the  other. 

Frank  Spalding  had  at  this  period  of  his  life  an  experi- 
ence of  far-reaching  importance.  In  later  years  souls 
undergoing  deep  loss  or  disappointment  marveled  to    find 


SPIRITUAL   GROWTH  79 

in  this  successful  man  of  action  and  vigorous  mentality 
delicate  sympathy  and  rare  insight.  His  spiritual  discern- 
ment was  born  of  personal  disappointment. 

To  His  Mother 

Erie,  May  13,  1898. 
That  piece  of  poetry  by  Longfellow  is  very  nice  but  do  you 
know  that  philosophy  doesn't  seem  to  help  much.  The  highest 
appeal  is  not  a  promise  of  reward  in  any  shape,  here  or  hereafter. 
It  is  rather  an  appeal  to  do  our  best  to  bear  for  God  what  God 
sends,  whether  you  are  going  to  see  why  or  not.  Pain,  as  far 
as  we  can  see,  is  necessary,  for  men  would  be  hard  and  pitiless 
without  suffering.  But  think  how  hard  it  must  be  for  God  to 
have  it  so !  But  He  has  to  for  the  higher  good  of  man.  And 
so  those  who  suffer  are  sharing  with  God  His  heaviest  burden. 
He  gives  to  them  who  suffer  undeserved  pain  the  glory  of  the 
fellowship  of  His  sufferings,  —  helping  Him  to  do  what  it  is  hard- 
est for  Him  to  do.  That  way  of  looking  at  it  helps  most  any 
way.  The  hard  part  about  it  all  was  that  my  sorrow  seemed 
such  a  selfish  thing  when  I  knew  that  I  was  or  at  least  I  honestly 
try  to  be  unselfish.  But  some  way  this  view  of  things  helps  me 
to  see  that  suffering  is  not  selfish.  It's  helping  to  fill  up  the 
measure  of  His  sufferings.  Bearing  for  God  for  the  good  of  the 
world,  God's  heaviest  load.  I  don't  know  whether  you  can 
understand.  Even  if  it  doesn't  lessen  the  pain,  it  helps  one  to 
be  braver  about  it  and  that  is  comfort  enough. 

Don't  worry  about  me,  for  I  am  sure  that  I  don't  want  any- 
thing that  God  doesn't  think  best  or  that  would  make  me  a  bit 
less  useful.  There  is  lots  of  use  for  single  men  in  the  ministry 
and  if  that  is  what  he  wants  me  to  be,  then  really  I  am  perfectly 
willing.  You  surely  do  not  think  I  ought  to  be  able  to  say  that 
it  wouldn't  be  beautiful  the  other  way.  I  wouldn't  do  that,  I 
think  I  would  be  very  wrong  if  I  could.  You  say  that  because 
God  took  Ned  it  is  all  well  and  you  submit  and  do  your  best 
without  him,  but  do  you  not  think  you  ought  to  be  able  to  say, 


80  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

' '  It  would  have  been  fine  if  he  had  lived  and  grown  up  the  splen- 
did man  he  must  have  been."  I  know  that  you  don't  feel  that 
you  should  not  say  that, 

I  am  writing  father  telling  him  that  if  he  wants  me  to  try 
Jarvis  Hall  again  I  will.  Of  course  I  don't  want  to  leave  Erie 
for  it  is  giving  up  a  very  appreciative  people,  a  useful  work 
and  a  hope  which  I  simply  can  not  quite  give  up.  But  to  have 
father  struggling  with  those  schools  and  no  one  to  help  him,  to 
have  to  lose  all  that  property  for  the  Church  without  a  harder 
fight  doesn't  seem  quite  right. 

The  mountains  ever  brought  to  Frank  Spalding  healing 
and  inspiration,  and  in  the  summer  of  1898  he  spent  his 
vacation  climbing  the  Grand  Teton  in  Wyoming,  187  miles 
from  the  railroad,  —  a  peak  never  climbed  before  or  since. 

This  peak,  13,800  feet  high,  towering  over  precipices  with 
a  sheer  drop  of  3000  feet,  and  surrounded  by  glaciers  and 
great  fields  of  snow  banks  with  hidden  crevasses,  is  to  the 
Rockies  what  the  Matterhorn  is  to  the  Alps.  Here  is 
Spalding's  description  of  the  most  difficult  section  of  the 
climb,  given  in  an  interview  to  the  Cheyenne  Republican. 

"Naturally,  the  north  side  of  any  large  and  supposedly 
inaccessible  peak  is  supposed  to  be  the  hardest  climb. 
But  the  Matterhorn  is  climbed  most  easily  by  the  north 
side,  so  was  the  Grand  Teton.  We  decided  to  stick  to 
the  north,  and  cautiously  made  our  way  along  our  gallery 
until  the  man  in  front  suddenly  drew  back  with  the 
remark  that  it  ended  in  a  precipice  that  shot  sheer  down 
for  3000  feet. 

Below  the  gallery  and  jutting  out  from  the  wall  of  rock 
were  two  large  slabs,  probably  six  feet  in  length,  which  had 
been  sprung  out  from  the  main  wall  by  the  action  of  the  ice 
and  rain.     Behind  those,  after  lowering  ourselves  to  them, 


SPIRITUAL   GROWTH  8l 

we  crawled  along  a  distance  of  twenty  feet,  which  brought 
us  to  a  little  ledge  under  an  overhanging  rock.  The  ledge 
was  so  narrow  that  we  were  forced  to  crawl  on  our  stomachs. 

"The  consciousness  that  a  fall  would  land  us  3000  feet 
below  gave  us  a  decidedly  creepy  sensation.  We  had  to 
dig  our  fingers  in  the  rough  granite  in  places  to  pull  our- 
selves along.  We  encouraged  each  other  by  keeping  up  a 
natural  conversation,  but  it  was  with  an  inward  feeling  of 
relief  that  we  left  the  ledge  and  came  to  a  sort  of  niche  with 
a  small  overhanging  rock.  Over  this  we  threw  a  rope  — 
an  action  that  required  a  cool  and  steady  hand  and  a  keen 
eye.  We  pulled  ourselves  up  and  out  over  this  3000  feet 
of  space  and  continued  up  on  the  niche  to  about  50  feet. 
It  was  so  narrow  that  we  had  to  use  our  feet,  elbows  and 
knees.  All  of  the  rock  was  slippery  and  we  could  not  go 
too  carefully.  When  we  reached  the  top  we  went  on  an- 
other gallery  for  a  distance  of  nearly  200  feet  to  the  west ; 
then  up  another  ice  niche,  in  which  we  were  forced  to  cut 
five  steps.  It  was  sixty  feet  high  and  led  on  to  a  ridge. 
We  followed  a  snow  ridge  for  200  feet,  and  then  over  the 
sharp,  jagged,  eruptive  rocks,  so  noticeable  above  the 
timber-line,  clambered  with  a  shout  to  the  top.  We  had 
been  climbing  for  eleven  hours.  It  was  a  grand  sight,  one 
of  the  grandest  on  earth." 

Something  within  the  man  found  outlet  in  that  hazard- 
ous adventure.  With  a  deeper  knowledge  of  himself  and 
a  clearer  vision  of  God,  Spalding  returned  to  Erie  to  adven- 
ture all  for  Christ  and  His  Church. 


VIII 

His  Approach  to  the  Social  Problem 

There  is  a  vital  relation  between  the  new  theology  and 
social  reform.  The  medieval  view  of  life  which  sees  the 
true  state  beyond  death  and  regards  existence  here  as  a 
mere  prelude  can  not  seriously  undertake  the  reformation 
of  society.  The  Protestant  Reformation  led  to  the  Political 
Revolution,  historically,  and  the  reformation  of  the  Refor- 
mation leads,  spiritually,  to  the  social  revolution. 

In  the  soul  of  Frank  Spalding,  as  a  microcosmos,  the 
cosmic  drama  was  unfolded.  Not  suddenly,  but  little  by 
little,  did  he  awaken  to  the  significance  of  the  new  day 
which  had  dawned  for  America.  Shortly  after  his  going 
to  Erie  he  spoke  one  Sunday  afternoon  to  the  prisoners 
in  the  penitentiary.  In  his  audience  he  noticed  there 
were  boys.  On  inquiry,  the  former  schoolmaster  who 
knew  how  impressionable  boys  are,  was  shocked  to  find 
that  it  was  the  custom  to  put  little  boys  into  the  same  cells 
with  the  old  criminals.  At  the  ministers'  meeting  the  fol- 
lowing Monday  he  described  what  he  saw  and  told  what  it 
meant  to  those  boys.  He  became  from  that  moment  a  social 
reformer.  He  brought  the  subject  of  prison  reform  before 
the  Erie  Reform  Club,  telling  of  the  movement  in  America 
to  lead  the  prisoners  back  to  a  life  of  moral  and  physical 
health,  and  describing  in  detail  the  efforts  being  made  at 
Elmira,  N.  Y.  He  wrote  a  paper  on  the  subject  which 
was  printed  by  the  Federation  of  Churches  and  circulated 

82 


HIS   APPROACH   TO   THE    SOCIAL   PROBLEM  83 

throughout  the  county  in  as  many  papers  as  would  print 
it,  with  the  result  that  the  County  Commissioners  provided 
quarters  for  juvenile  prisoners  and  others  not  hardened  in 
crime,  separate  from  the  quarters  used  to  detain  those  who 
were  classed  as  incorrigibly  depraved.  He  led  the  self- 
respecting  people  in  a  protest  against  a  professional  prize 
fight  which  was  forced  upon  Erie  after  Buffalo  had  cast  it 
out. 

The  free  silver  question,  in  which  Spalding  took  such 
deep  interest,  had  led  him  to  think  of  the  social  problem  on 
a  national  basis,  dealing  as  that  question  did  with  the  rela- 
tions between  a  creditor  class  and  a  debtor  class.  "I 
have  just  read  Fulton's  article  in  the  Church  Standard  on 
the  political  situation,"  wrote  Frank  to  his  father  during 
the  presidential  campaign  of  1896,  "and  it  makes  me  so 
angry  that  I  hardly  know  what  to  do.  He  ought  to  be 
answered  in  a  calm  and  judicial  way  but  positively  and 
emphatically.  The  way  Fulton  is  writing  about  Capital 
and  the  abused  money  classes  makes  you  wonder  if  the 
paper  is  subsidized."  It  was  the  silver  question  also  that 
opened  his  eyes  to  the  growing  social  discontent  in  America. 
"If  you  think  the  present  all  that  it  should  be,"  he  said  in 
an  address,  "ask  the  millions  of  unpaid  and  ill  fed  educated 
men  whose  cause  has  not  been  pleaded,  but  whose  rights  are 
really  just ;  ask  men  who  a  year  ago  were  rich  but  whose 
wealth  has  taken  wings  and  they  will  tell  you  that  we  are 
not  living  in  the  golden  age,  and  that  these  United  States 
of  America  cannot  be  called  ideal."  When  Spalding  went 
to  Erie  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  root  of  all  this  trouble 
was  the  "money  power  given  to  the  banks  to  expand  and 
contract  as  they  please.     It  is  simply  monstrous." 

In  Erie  Spalding  came  to  see  that,  "Free  silver  isn't 
enough  but  I  had  better  be  a  Socialist  or  something  stronger." 


84  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

What  was  radically  the  trouble  with  the  social  structure  he 
did  not  see,  until  his  eyes  were  opened  by  the  working-men 
of  his  parish.  In  Trinity  Mission,  the  work  of  St.  Paul's 
in  a  new  part  of  Erie,  the  men  were  day  laborers  and  me- 
chanics. These  men  were  greatly  agitated  by  the  plans 
of  the  company  to  install  mechanical  hoists  on  the  docks. 
The  contact  with  these  men  led  their  rector  to  inquire  for 
himself  whether  machinery  helped  the  working  class.  He 
found  that  machinery  was  the  working-man's  rival  in  that 
particular  instance,  whatever  may  be  said  for  it  in  the  long 
run.  It  did  not  cheapen  prices  for  the  men;  it  took  the 
bread  out  of  the  mouths  of  many  of  them.  The  money 
which  formerly  went  to  labor  now  went  to  the  machine, 
that  is  to  capital,  for  capital  and  the  owner  of  the  machine 
are  one  and  the  same  person.  "What  is  the  laborer  going 
to  do  for  his  living?"  was  a  vital  question  not  only 
to  the  men  but  to  the  rector  and  his  mission  work.  By 
facing  their  problem  with  his  parishioners,  Frank  Spalding 
awoke  to  the  fact  that  in  modern  society  the  tool-owner, 
that  is  capital,  had  the  tool-user,  that  is  labor,  at  a 
disadvantage. 

When  in  the  Spring  of  1898,  Eugene  Debs,  beloved  of 
the  working-men  in  and  outside  the  Socialist  circles,  came 
to  Erie  to  lecture,  Spalding  was  invited  to  preside  at  the 
meeting.  He  declined  the  invitation  "as  out  of  his  sphere." 
But  after  his  experiences  with  the  labor  situation,  above 
referred  to,  he  became  convinced  that  labor  in  all  its  phases 
was  very  much  his  concern  and  the  concern  of  the  Church. 
When,  then,  he  was  invited  to  give  the  Labor  Day  oration 
the  following  September  he  accepted.  Had  Spalding  been 
asked  to  address  the  employers  he  would  have  accepted 
and,  undoubtedly,  would  have  encouraged  them  to  work 
out   their  moral  problems  and  pointed  out   their  short- 


HIS   APPROACH   TO   THE    SOCIAL   PROBLEM  85 

comings.  Speaking  to  the  labor  men,  he  criticized  certain 
faults  of  theirs  at  the  same  time  that  he  expressed  sympathy 
with  their  situation.  That  was  always  Spalding's  way. 
He  was  primarily  the  prophet  and  spoke  in  order  to  tell 
men  what  they  needed,  not  what  they  wanted  to  hear. 
The  particular  indictment  which  he  drew  against  the 
unions  was  that  many  men  had  recently  been  allowing  their 
wives  and  children  to  work  in  the  factories,  not  to  supply 
their  necessities,  but  to  increase  their  luxuries.  This  an- 
gered many  of  the  men  but  stirred  the  consciences  of  others. 
The  next  day  many  of  these  men  forbade  their  women  to 
return  to  work.  The  shop  most  seriously  affected  belonged 
to  one  of  the  vestry  of  St.  Paul's  Church ! 

The  sequel  of  that  Labor  Day  address  revealed  to  Frank 
Spalding  that  the  Church  is  committed  to  the  labor  problem, 
but  on  the  side  of  the  employer.  St.  Paul's  Church  was 
preeminently  a  parish  of  employers  rather  than  of  employees, 
and  at  once  opposition  to  his  pro-labor  activities  sprang  up 
from  within.  He  was  charged  by  the  employers  with  hav- 
ing incited  their  employees  to  strike.  The  member  of  the 
vestry  whose  women  employees  gave  up  their  jobs,  sent  in 
his  resignation,  without  even  giving  his  rector  a  chance  to 
explain.  The  Spalding  who  had  gone  straight  to  his  col- 
lege mate  when  he  was  told  of  his  disaffection,  and  had 
sought  to  give  the  attorney  the  facts  in  the  Jarvis  Hall 
case,  now  sought  an  interview  with  his  resigned  vestryman. 
He  found  him  obdurate;  he  would  have  no  explanation 
and  insisted  on  the  acceptance  of  his  resignation.  The 
business  of  the  Church  was  to  preach  the  simple  Gospel, 
and  he  refused  longer  to  be  responsible  for  a  clergyman 
who  didn't  stick  to  his  job.  "I  started  for  the  door,"  said 
Spalding,  "disheartened,  when  an  idea  occurred  to  me.  I 
turned  back  and  said,  Mr.  A.,  you  have  resigned  from  the 


86  FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 

vestry  because  of  the  effect  you  assert  my  speech  had  upon 
your  workmen.  What  effect  do  you  think  your  resignation 
will  have  upon  B.  (naming  a  certain  labor  leader)  when  he 
hears  that  it  was  because  you  thought  I  took  the  side  of 
your  employees  against  you.  Do  you  think  that  will 
lessen  your  difficulties?"  That  was  a  poser  and  the  resig- 
nation was  withdrawn. 

It  took  no  little  courage  and  conviction  for  Spalding  to 
adopt  the  position  he  did  in  these  labor  controversies. 
Erie  had  been  his  old  home  and  his  course  brought  him 
into  collision  with  his  personal  friends  and  the  connections 
of  his  family.  Frank  Spalding  was  condemned  later  in 
life  for  assuming  the  existence  of  social  classes  in  America. 
He  knew  at  first  hand  in  Erie  that  there  were  two  classes  in 
America,  a  class  that  owned  the  means  of  production  and 
the  class  that  were  wage  earners  and  nothing  more,  and 
that  between  the  two  there  was  no  social  intercourse,  and 
neither  understood  the  other.  It  is  but  just  to  say,  now 
that  the  causes  of  friction  have  long  since  passed,  there  are 
no  greater  admirers  of  Frank  Spalding  nor  any  more  loyal 
to  his  memory  than  those  same  friends  and  connections. 
No  one  could  be  angry  with  him  long,  even  when  differences 
of  opinion  were  pronounced.  His  motives  were  so  obviously 
sincere,  his  unselfishness  so  transparent,  there  was  such  a 
complete  absence  of  the  demagogue  in  him,  his  espousal  of 
the  cause  of  the  working-man  was  so  thoroughly  idealistic 
and  so  genuinely  Christian,  that  it  was  impossible  not  to 
respect  and  admire  him  even  when  one  failed  to  agree  with 
him.  Perhaps  it  is  only  fair  to  add  that  his  absolute  sin- 
cerity and  straightforwardness  prevented  him  from  adopt- 
ing anything  like  diplomacy.  Diplomacy  seemed  to  him 
too  much  like  compromise  and  compromise  of  conviction 
was  abhorrent  to  him.     The  result  was  that  in  these  earlier 


HIS  APPROACH  TO  THE  SOCIAL  PROBLEM  87 

struggles  more  especially,  he  may  have  appeared  at  times 
to  those  who  differed  from  him,  to  be  intolerant.  In  reality 
nothing  could  be  farther  from  the  true  spirit  of  the  man. 
Undiplomatic  he  may  have  been  at  times,  intolerant  never. 
He  was  ever  eager  to  get  at  another's  point  of  view  and  to 
learn  from  an  adversary.  The  intolerant  man  is  always  a 
contentious  man.  He  regards  the  expression  of  a  difference 
of  opinion  as  a  personal  insult  and  always  expresses  his  own 
opinion  in  such  a  way  as  to  reflect  upon  the  good  sense  of 
his  neighbor.  However  deep  Spalding's  convictions  were, 
in  debate  he  always  occupied  a  certain  objective  attitude 
toward  them.  The  consequence  was  that  debate,  which 
he  dearly  loved,  never  degenerated  into  bickering.  It  was 
an  intellectual  exercise,  never  a  quarrel.  As  for  his 
lack  of  diplomacy,  it  sprang  from  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
traits  that  a  strong  nature  can  be  possessed  of,  a  simplicity 
that  was  almost  childlike.  In  the  deeper  convictions  of  his 
life  he  was  so  sure  of  the  truth  of  his  positions  and  so  un- 
consciously supported  by  the  purity  of  his  motives,  that  he 
failed  to  realize  at  times  that  one  could  differ  from  him  or 
would  mistake  his  criticisms  for  personal  denunciation. 
He  was  apparently  totally  unaware  of  the  way  others  who 
did  not  agree  with  him  might  construe  his  utterances.  Some 
of  his  friends  wondered  at  his  audacity  when  they  should 
have  admired  his  simple  truthfulness.  Maturer  years  filled 
out  the  finer  proportions  of  his  mind  as  it  did  the  angularity 
of  his  body,  but  he  never  lost  the  enthusiasm  of  his  convic- 
tions, which  so  often  we  find  associated  only  with  youth. 
To  those  who  knew  Spalding  intimately  his  lovableness 
was  always  as  clearly  a  basic  element  in  his  character  as  his 
strength.  But  as  his  strength  became  more  assured,  his 
convictions  deeper  and  more  balanced,  the  innate  gentle- 
ness of  his  spirit  shone  through  his  strength  more  conspic- 


88  FRANKLIN   SPENCER  SPALDING      * 

uously.     This  did  not  lessen  his  strength,  it  made  it  more 
serviceable. 

As  the  industrial  problem  became  more  clearly  delineated 
to  his  own  mind  he  sought  to  inform  his  people  through 
sermons  as  to  its  significance  and  meaning.  He  gave  a 
series  of  addresses  on  Social  Problems,  Charity,  Wages, 
Bargaining,  Speculation,  Gambling,  Extravagance  and 
Social  Equality.  The  Ten  Commandments,  in  their  appli- 
cation to  modern  life,  formed  a  second  series  of  sermons 
in  which  he  sought  to  enlighten  and  guide  his  people.  He 
dealt  also  with  the  family  life,  the  social  life  and  the 
business  life,  from  the  social  point  of  view.  He  was  read- 
ing at  this  time  Dean  Hodges'  "Faith  and  Social  Service," 
which  had  just  appeared,  and  was  learning  of  the  Christian 
Socialists  of  England  through  the  Life  of  Charles  Kingsley. 
He  worked  up  a  lecture  on  the  "  Workingmen  of  the  Middle 
Ages."  The  sermons  which  he  was  preaching  disturbed 
many  of  the  people  of  St.  Paul's,  and  there  was  a  demand 
that  he  should  preach  the  "Simple  Gospel";  that  is,  the 
Gospel  which  did  not  raise  perplexing  questions  for  the 
conscience  of  the  employer  and  the  men  and  women  who 
live  on  profits,  rent  and  interest. 

To  His  Mother 

Oct.  19,  1899. 

I  have  started  a  class  for  the  study  of  social  science.  We 
are  to  meet  on  Tuesdays  and  are  to  read  Giddings'  Sociology. 
We  had  seven  to  begin  with  and  I  think  it  will  be  a  helpful  thing. 
They  were  all  working-men  but  I  hope  some  of  the  other  class 
will  come  in  soon  and  that  it  may  help  to  bring  a  little  better 
understanding  between  capital  and  labor,  for  some  of  the  firms 
here  are  just  on  the  verge  of  strikes,  and  it  is  dreadful  how  soon 
a  man  who  is  getting  ahead  begins  to  look  upon  the  men  who 
work  for  him  as  so  much  machinery. 


HIS   APPROACH   TO   THE    SOCIAL   PROBLEM  89 

Everyone  is  getting  rich  apparently  in  Erie,  though  I  am  sure 
it  will  not  be  long  before  there  will  be  terrible  trouble  with  the 
labor  question.  As  the  men  become  more  intelligent  they  want 
more  wages  and  they  need  more  and  they  ought  to  have  more. 

If  there  is  anything  I  pray  to  be  delivered  from  it  is  the  love 
of  money,  and  there  are  lots  of  people  who  have  it.  A.  is  getting 
really  a  sad  object.  He  does  want  to  get  rich  so  badly.  It  is 
awful  the  way  people  estimate  everything  in  terms  of  money. 

I  am  having  quite  a  controversy  with  Mr.  Taylor  of  Warren 
on  Socialism.  He  is  out  of  sorts  with  it,  for  the  crowd  down 
there  who  are  interested  in  Socialism  are  unChristian  and  out  of 
all  patience  with  Christianity.  I  do  not  know  very  much  about 
Socialism.  I  notice  that  in  the  Outlook  James  Bryce,  in  noting 
the  great  books  of  the  century,  puts  down  Marx's  Capital  as 
one  which  has  by  no  means  spent  its  force. 

To  His  Sister 

Oct.  1,  1900. 

I  really  do  not  know  what  to  do  about  the  Church  History. 
I  put  a  lot  of  time  on  it,  at  least  four  hours  of  solid  work,  and 
there  are  only  a  very  few  come.  It  is  of  course  well  for  me  to 
review  my  Church  History  and  it  is  very  interesting  for  I  always 
loved  history,  but  I  feel  I  might  be  putting  that  much  time  on 
more  important  things.  Still,  it  enables  me  to  do  something  for 
some  of  those  society  people  who  are  a  part  of  my  flock  and 
yet  whom  otherwise  I  would  not  be  doing  anything  for  as  they 
never  come  to  any  religious  services  except  funerals. 

The  conditions  of  labor  under  the  present  system  are  dread- 
fully hard  and  the  rich  seem  to  be  as  much  injured  as  the  poor. 

I  am  going  to  vote  for  Bryan  because  I  believe  he  is  honest 

and  independent  and  progressive.     But  to  say  with  Dr. that 

he  is  socialistic  is  absurd.  He  is  an  old  fashioned  Democrat 
who  believes  in  downing  the  trusts  in  the  interest  of  private  com- 
petition. All  the  Socialists  here  are  opposed  to  him  as  bitterly 
as  they  are  to  McKinley.  I  confess  I  think  there  is  a  principle 
at  stake  in  the  imperialist  policy.     We  ought  not  to  have  colonies ; 


90  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

a  republic  cannot  have  subjects.  And  we  have  too  much  to  do 
at  home  to  think  we  can  do  more  outside.  It's  like  a  woman 
with  a  big  family  of  uncared  for  children  adopting  some  more. 

I  guess  I  told  you  that  I  asked  Lyman  Abbott  why  the  Outlook 
didn't  have  a  series  of  articles  on  "  America's  Working  Churches" 
like  Spahr's  article  on  "America's  Working  People,"  the  idea 
being  to  send  a  good  observer  into  typical  places  to  find  out  the 
most  successful  church  and  then  tell  its  methods,  etc.  Dr. 
Abbott  thanked  me  for  the  suggestion,  as  interesting  and  valu- 
able, and  hopes  to  carry  out  the  plan  which  I  have  outlined. 

We  have  been  reading  St.  Francis  aloud  after  breakfast  and 
are  nearly  through  it.  It  is  certainly  beautiful  and  I  am  much 
obliged  to  you  for  sending  it  to  me.  I  expect  that's  the  way 
one  ought  to  live  but  the  hard  thing  is  to  interpret  into  modern 
life  just  that  spirit  of  absolute  self-sacrifice.  Nowadays  it  can 
hardly  mean  a  wandering  life,  a  patched  cowl  and  begging  for 
bread.  I  wonder  just  what  it  does  mean.  Mrs.  A.  who  is  a  so- 
ciety woman  pure  and  simple,  I  should  think,  was  talking  to 
me  about  Bishop  B.  and  how  much  she  thought  of  him.  She 
said  he  still  kept  true  to  the  old  vows  of  his  order,  that  he  wore  a 
shabby  hat  when  she  last  saw  him  and  he  said,  "You  know  I 
always  buy  the  cheapest,"  which  seemed  to  impress  her  greatly. 
And  yet  surely  there  is  no  harm  in  trying  to  keep  one's  clothing 
good,  and  in  all  probability  the  buying  of  the  cheapest  hat  meant 
the  patronizing  of  firms  which  paid  the  lowest  wages  and  were 
hardest  on  their  employees.  It  must  have  been  a  good  deal 
easier,  in  a  way,  in  simple  primitive  times  to  leave  all  and  sell 
and  follow,  than  now,  not  but  that  one  can  equally  have  the  will, 
only  it  is  hard  to  see  the  way.  It  was  fine  how  broad  Francis 
was  in  founding  the  Brothers  of  Penitence  too.  The  question 
of  celibacy  came  up  in  the  Church  History  class  a  while  back  and 
I  was  amazed  to  see  how  strongly  all  women  seemed  to  feel  that 
the  ideal  priest  of  God,  the  really  unselfish  man,  must  be  un- 
married. Mrs.  C.  said  that  in  time  of  plague  only  Roman  priests 
were  ready  to  stay  and  bury  the  dead,  as  if  burying  the  dead  was 
a  test  of  the  value  of  one's  service.    When  I  urged  that  to  be 


HIS   APPROACH   TO   THE    SOCIAL   PROBLEM  91 

the  husband  of  some  woman,  or  the  wife  of  some  man  took  more 
grace  than  to  be  a  monk  or  nun,  and  to  walk  the  floor  with  a 
crying  baby  more  Christianity  than  the  vow  to  poverty,  they 
could  not  answer.  And  when  I  argued  that  the  example  of  a  Chris- 
tian family  in  times  of  ordinary  life  even  if  they  did  move  away 
in  time  of  plague,  might  be  of  more  value  to  social  righteous- 
ness than  the  celibate's  solitary  selfishness  even  though  he  stayed 
when  cholera  came,  they  had  no  answer  either.  And  that  makes 
me  think  how  distorted  our  ideals  of  man  become  and  how  ar- 
tificial our  standards  of  morality.  Its  very  hard  for  each  one  to 
see  that  the  state  of  life  into  which  God  has  called  him  gives  him 
opportunity  of  living  a  truly  Christlike  life  and  probably  his 
best  opportunity. 

I  am  glad  Aunt  F.  liked  Fr.  D.  Please  write  me  all  about  him 
and  try  to  find  out  why  he  wears  the  clothes.  It  seems  such  a 
cheap  way  of  making  yourself  conspicuous.  I  have  often  thought 
of  making  my  own  bed  when  a  guest  at  a  house,  but  somehow 
it  has  seemed  to  me  that  if  I  were  the  host  I'd  rather  make  it  than 
have  my  guest  do  it,  so  I've  not  done  it.  You  know  one  of  the 
wise  things  my  mother  taught  me  when  I  was  young  was  to  make 
my  bed,  so  I  could  do  it. 

With  the  increase  of  wealth  in  Erie  there  was  an  increase 
of  luxury.  Spalding  was  told  of  society  women,  members  of 
St.  Paul's,  who  were  in  the  habit  of  going  to  a  certain  social 
club  and  there  drinking  with  men,  not  their  husbands,  until 
long  after  midnight.  Sunday  morning  breakfasts  and  poker 
playing  night  after  night  were  indulged  in  by  men  and 
women  who  were  communicants  of  his  parish. 

To  His  Father 

Sept.  3,  1900. 

I  have  been  thinking  of  some  plan  like  this,  I'd  like  to  hear 
what  you  and  mother  think  about  it.  The  St.  Agnes  Guild  is 
made  up  of  the  society  set.     You  know  the  Church  History  was 


92 


FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 


quite  a  fad  for  a  year,  and  it's  because  that  succeeded  I  have 
thought  possibly  this  would  too.  Call  the  Guild  together  by 
writing  a  personal  invitation  to  each  one  and  tell  them  that  they 
are  social  leaders  and  members  of  St.  Paul's  Church  and  then 
ask  them  to  agree  to  come  to  the  Parish  House  every  two  weeks 
in  the  winter  to  listen  to  a  paper  which  I  propose  to  prepare  my- 
self, or  get  some  one  else  to  prepare,  on  the  question  which  their 
behavior  proves  them  to  be  doubtful  about  (i)  gambling  (2)  the 
proper  observance  of  Sunday  (3)  drinking  (4)  the  theatre  (5) 
novels  (6)  proper  treatment  of  servants  (7)  gossip  (8)  purity 
(9)  gluttony  (ro)  social  responsibility  (n)  marriage  and 
divorce  (12)  religion.  One  cannot  preach  on  these  things  in 
church  but  they  need  to  be  spoken  of  very  plainly.  I  would  get 
them  all  to  promise  to  come.  Let  the  Guild  take  the  responsi- 
bility of  making  them  a  success. 

The  St.  Agnes  Guild  expressed  deep  interest  in  their 
rector's  suggestion  and  all  the  members  agreed  to  attend  and 
to  distribute  invitations  to  others.  Three  patronesses  for 
each  lecture  were  chosen  and  the  course  started  with  every 
promise  of  success.  The  attendance  went  far  beyond  his 
expectations,  as  many  as  three  hundred  being  present. 
But  the  society  people  for  whom  the  lectures  had  been 
planned  were  conspicuously  absent ! 

"It  is  surprising  how  many  Presbyterians  come  and  that 
is  the  hard  thing  to  understand.  They  seem  really  more 
interested  than  our  own  people.  The  Guild  who  prom- 
ised to  come  have  no  principle  whatsoever  and  most  of  them 
stay  away  while  those  poor  unconfirmed  sectarians  are  most 
anxious  to  hear." 

The  purpose  behind  these  lectures  was  to  persuade  the 
rich  and  well-to-do  to  be  generous  and  intelligent  and  public- 
spirited.  Spalding  thought  that  "society"  was  what  it 
was  because  of  the  men  and  women  in  it,  and,  if  these  men 


HIS  APPROACH  TO  THE  SOCIAL  PROBLEM         93 

and  women  could  be  changed,  "society"  would  become  a 
moral  force.  His  failure  to  reach  the  rich  —  through  ser- 
mons, lectures,  Bible  class,  personal  intercourse  —  refuted 
his  theory. 

To  His  Mother 

Dec.  9,  1900. 

I  preached  about  Diocesan  Missions.  The  pledge  system 
wasn't  a  very  great  success,  we  had  about  fifty  dollars  promised 
and  about  fifty  dollars  in  the  plate.  I  told  them  very  plainly 
how  things  stood  and  how  ashamed  I  was  that  since  my  coming 
the  offerings  had  very  steadily  fallen  off.  This  is  the  record  which 
I  read  to  them  :  In  1896  for  Domestic  Missions  $127.00 ;  in  1897^ 
$100.94;  in  1898,  $49;  in  1899,  $33.29.  For  Diocesan  mis- 
sions, in  1896,  $476;  1897,1348;  1898,  $400;  1899,  $300,  and 
so  far  this  year  $101. 

I  wonder  what  the  trouble  with  me  is  any  way.  They  all 
pretend  to  like  me  and  they  say  I  am  doing  them  good  and  yet 
that's  the  financial  result  of  my  work.  They  raised  my  salary 
last  Spring  and  then  didn't  pay  it  for  three  months,  and  when 
they  did  pay  it  went  to  the  bank  and  borrowed  the  money,  and 
that  money  hasn't  been  paid  back  yet.  I  told  them  that  they 
had  no  business  to  have  raised  my  pay  and  that  I  would  not  take 
it,  and  so  next  Sunday,  if  in  the  meantime  my  salary  is  paid, 
I  intend  to  put  back  $100,  which  is  the  amount  of  raise  they  gave 
me  since  the  salary  was  increased.  It  isn't  that  they  haven't 
money  for  they  are  all  living  most  extravagantly,  but  it  is  that 
my  preaching  utterly  fails  to  do  them  any  good,  I  am  afraid. 

So  I  wonder  —  as  the  Lord  looks  at  it  —  so  far  as  actually 
getting  at  the  people  and  influencing  them,  I  am  not  just  as 
big  a  failure  as  I  have  always  been.  First,  All  Saint's,  then 
Jarvis  Hall  and  now  St.  Paul's.  What  ought  I  to  do  ?  It  seems 
as  if  the  more  I  do  the  less  every  one  else  does,  as  if  when  I 
worked  hard,  instead  of  the  others  following,  the  others  just 
rested  and  let  me  do  it  all.  I  wish  I  could  reform.  There  must 
be  a  weakness  about  me,  and,  if  I  only  knew  it,  perhaps  I  could 


94  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

overcome  it.     This  is  not  in  a  very  thankful  strain  but  I've 
been  thinking  a  lot  about  things. 

The  gym  is  now  doing  nicely  and  that  is  an  encouraging  thing. 
Mr.  A.  has  been  very  generous  in  that  respect  and  he  is  going  to 
be  more  so,  I  think,  in  the  future.  Mr.  B.  makes  me  tired  too. 
We  asked  him  to  order  the  new  Hymnals  and  Prayer  Books  we 
needed  and  he  brought  in  a  bill  for  the  books  at  higher  cost, 
actually,  than  the  regular  retail  price,  and  he  regularly  charges  the 
church  more  than  any  other  printer  in  town  for  all  he  does. 
And  yet  he  likes  to  hear  me  preach !  It  doesn't  seem  as  if  the 
Lord  heard  my  prayers  even,  for  I  pray  for  them  all  as  well  as 
preach  to  them.  If  they  are  such  a  hardened  lot  I  suppose  I 
should  feel  that  Erie  was  an  excellent  place  for  me  to  be,  for  there 
is  work  enough.  But  I  wonder  whether  some  one  else  couldn't 
do  it  all  better.     How  did  father  get  them  all  to  working? 

I  am  getting  statistics  about  conditions  in  Erie.  It's  actually 
harder  to  get  facts  from  the  men  in  our  congregation  than  others. 
X.  Y.,  I  really  believe  pay  poorer  wages  and  are  harder  on  their 
girls  than  almost  anywhere  else.  They  actually  worked  them 
all  Thanksgiving  and  last  Sunday. 

While  the  failure  to  persuade  the  rich  threw  him  at  first 
into  a  mood  of  introspection  and  sense  of  failure,  he  was  too 
healthy-minded  to  remain  in  that  mood.  It  simply  made 
him,  as  he  says,  "think  a  lot."  Here  were  the  working 
men  and  women  of  his  parish,  with  as  good  a  right  as  any 
man  to  the  fullness  of  life,  without  the  ghost  of  a  chance ; 
the  possession  of  ambition  and  self-respect,  which  he 
thought  would  save  them,  really  disqualified  them,  because, 
even  though  a  few  might  find  their  way  out  of  the  ranks 
of  the  manual  workers,  the  system  required  others  to  take 
their  places,  who  were  not  ambitious  and  therefore  dis- 
contented. On  the  other  hand  those  who  reaped  the 
profits  of  the  competitive  system  were  morally  and  spirit- 
ually injured  by  them.     He  was  therefore  forced  to  the  con- 


HIS   APPROACH   TO   THE    SOCIAL   PROBLEM  95 

elusion  that  the  competitive  system  is  wrong  and  must  be 
made  to  give  way  to  an  industrial  system  based  upon  co- 
operation. 

He  went  to  Philadelphia  and  preached  at  the  annual 
service  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution  in  Christ 
Church.  After  the  manner  of  Mr.  Sheldon,  he  wanted  to 
find  out  what  Washington  would  do  to-day.  The  revival 
of  military  patriotism  is  largely  useless.  We  do  not  be- 
lieve in  war,  we  have  great  peace  conventions  to  do  away 
with  war  and  yet  we  talk  about  the  warrior  as  if  he  was  the 
only  patriot.  We  want  to  find  out  what  the  spirit  of  '76 
will  do  in  1900.  And  what  that  spirit  demands  is  indus- 
trial independence,  a  new  social  order,  Christian  Socialism. 

To  His  Mother 

Phtla.,  Dec.  16,  1900. 

I  am  sending  you  a  copy  of  my  sermon.  I  suppose  you  will 
not  care  much  for  it  because  of  the  socialism,  but  the  sermons 
they  sent  me  as  samples  were  so  tame  that  I  thought  I'd  try  to 
get  something  new  and  preach  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
I  do  not  think  it  was  inappropriate  to  the  occasion.  Indeed  I 
believe  anything  else  would  have  been  wrong  for  me,  and  I  do 
not  think  the  views  cranky  or  peculiar. 

I  got  your  good  letter  when  I  returned  from  the  service  at  Christ 
Church  and  I  tell  you  it  comforted  me  greatly  for  I  didn't  do  very 
well.  Mr.  A.  said  that  Mr.  B.,  the  chaplain  of  the  order,  was  to 
meet  me,  and  he  described  him  so  that  I  should  know  him  but  we 
could  find  no  such  man,  and  so  after  waiting  quite  a  time  we  took 
a  car.  In  the  church  I  inquired  my  way  to  the  vestry  room  and 
there  after  a  while  Dr.  C.  came  in,  said  that  the  carriage  was 
there,  etc.  but  I  did  not  know  which  and  he  was  sorry  I  came  in 
the  car,  but  I  told  him  not  to  worry  for  that  was  the  kind  of  a 
carriage  I  usually  rode  in.  But  he  is  the  most  doleful  man  I 
ever  saw.  Dr.  S.  when  he  came  in  was  worse  yet.  He  knew 
father,  he  said,  and  was  glad  to  see  me  but  I  didn't  like  him  a 


96  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

bit.  We  marched  in,  keeping  six  feet  apart,  which  seemed  to  be 
Dr.  C.'s  chief  concern  in  ordering  the  service  and  the  whole  read- 
ing of  the  service  and  the  quibbling  over  little  points  of  who  should 
go  first,  etc.  made  me  sick  and  quite  put  me  out  of  sorts,  only  I 
felt  that  I  wanted  to  preach  like  fury  the  simple  Gospel.  I  never 
got  into  a  service  which  seemed  to  me  so  utterly  unreal.  D. 
read  in  the  most  drawling  sanctimonious  tone  and  C.  was  worse 
yet.  The  result  was  I  did  not  preach  very  well.  I  forgot  part 
of  the  sermon  and  put  in  part  that  wasn't  extra  good.  —  The 
reporter  wanted  my  picture  for  the  papers  and  I  gave  it  to  the 
Inquirer.  I  wonder  how  much  they  will  print  of  it.  The  Rev. 
clergy  didn't  have  much  to  say  about  the  sermon.  Dr.  D.  said 
he  was  interested  in  the  subject  but  though  one  or  two  members 
thanked  me  for  it,  most  abstained  from  telling  untruths. 

When  God  vouchsafes  a  new  vision  of  Himself  to  a  man 
He  dooms  that  man  to  failure.  The  same  voice  that  bids 
him,  "Go  tell  this  people,"  sooner  or  later  reveals  to  him 
that  their  ears  are  heavy  and  their  eyes  are  shut  and  they 
will  not  understand  with  their  heart  nor  be  healed.  Every 
prophet  of  God  wants  to  succeed,  but  God  brings  him  to 
see  that  success  is  none  of  his  business ;  he  is  to  speak  the 
word  God  gives  him  and  to  do  His  will.  Spalding  was  such 
a  failure.  Even  his  mother  did  not  sympathize  with  the 
new  development  of  his  soul,  but  earnestly  urged  him  not 
to  be  peculiar  and  say  queer  things.  To  which  gentle 
chiding  he  replied,  "I  simply  have  to  be  myself.  I  suppose 
it's  a  weakness  not  to  be  able  to  get  out  of  myself  but  I  can't 
help  it,  and  it's  honest  any  way." 


IX 

Called  to  Be  a  Bishop 

In  January,  1902,  Frank  Spalding  had  typhoid  fever 
and  was  compelled  to  abandon  his  work  for  a  whole  year. 
He  had  overworked.  In  addition  to  his  two  regular  ser- 
mons in  St.  Paul's  each  week,  he  was  giving  two  courses  of 
weekly  lectures,  which  demanded  considerable  preparation, 
made  on  an  average  twenty-five  calls  and  superintended 
the  varied  organizations  of  the  parish  house.  "I  wonder  if 
all  ministers  have  to  drudge  so,"  wrote  his  sister  Sarah,  who 
had  gone  to  Erie  to  live  at  the  rectory  and  teach.  "I  tell 
him  he  ought  to  have  a  long  vacation  for  he  works  longer 
than  any  laboring-man,  at  least  twelve  hours  a  day,  every 
Sunday  and  most  holidays,  Christmas,  Good  Friday;  and 
Washington's  birthday  he  worked  just  the  same.  Sundays 
alone  ought  to  entitle  him  to  fifty-two  days  of  rest  in  sum- 
mer. I  am  afraid  of  a  physical  breakdown,  he  did  look  and 
was  so  tired  last  night." 

Even  his  strong  and  athletic  constitution  could  not  stand 
such  continuous  labor  with  no  exercise.  The  mental  ex- 
citement of  lecturing  and  preaching  robbed  him  of  sleep. 
Then  he  fell  victim  to  grippe  which  was  prevalent  that 
winter  in  Erie.  At  that  time  his  physician  advised  six 
months  rest,  but  Spalding  wrote  home  from  Atlantic  City 
"that  he  didn't  know  what  he  was  talking  about.  Your 
first  born  does  not  propose  to  die  sooner  than  he  has  to 
and  he  is  going  to  try  to  go  back  to  Erie  and  forget  if  he 

H  97 


q8  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

can  and  try  harder  than  ever  before  to  do  his  work  better, 
taking  enough  exercise  to  keep  him  in  good  physical  shape. 
"lam  going  to  play  golf.  It  is  a  good  way  to  spend  Mon- 
day morning.  Though  the  game  seems  stupid  and  silly  I 
want  to  know  how  it  is  done  seeing  other  people  find  it  so 
interesting."  Each  time  he  played  golf,  however,  he  found 
it  "exceedingly  stupid  and  even  more  absurd.  I  am  afraid 
I  am  becoming  too  practical,  for  I  couldn't  help  thinking 
what  nonsense  it  is  this  knocking  a  ball  into  a  hole  in  very 
scientific  style  and  using  as  many  instruments  as  it  takes 
to  cut  a  man's  leg  off  and  doing  it  all  with  as  much  care  as 
if  it  were  really  vital.  But  it  was  a  glorious  day  and  the 
fields  and  trees  and  sky  were  beautiful  and  so  I  enjoyed  it 
and  slept  well  last  night  but  I  do  not  think  I  shall  go  crazy 
over  the  game."  The  game  was  gradually  crowded  out  of 
his  life  by  the  pressure  of  work. 

He  was  in  constant  demand  from  all  sorts  of  people.  To 
his  sister's  chidings  he  quoted  Phillips  Brooks  that  the  man 
who  wanted  to  see  him  was  the  man  he  wanted  to  see. 
Judge  Walling  of  Erie  has  said  that  no  man  took  so  much 
trouble  to  follow  men  up,  that  he  came  into  court  oftener 
than  any  other  minister,  and  people  the  Judge  thought  no 
good  at  all  Spalding  would  not  give  up.  "I  really  don't 
think  I  am  often  fooled  about  people  but  the  puzzle  is, 
what  are  you  to  do  with  people  whom  you  know  are  un- 
worthy. I  may  and  usually  do  know  perfectly  well  that 
a  man  who  comes  to  ask  me  for  help  is  a  dead  beat,  but 
aren't  dead  beats  God's  children  too  and  so  what  is  to  be 
done  but  to  try  to  do  something  for  them." 

To  His  Mother 

On  last  Thursday  night  the  door  bell  rang.  I  jumped  up  and 
went  to  the  door  in  my  night  gown  and  opening  it,  found  a  man 


CALLED    TO   BE    A   BISHOP  99 

who  was  so  overcome  by  emotion  that  he  could  hardly  speakl 
I  thought  he  must  be  drunk  and  hesitated  about  letting  him  in, 
but  decided  that  was  rather  mean  and  so  asked  him  to  excuse 
my  appearance  and  to  come  into  the  parlor.  He  came  in  and 
told  me  his  story ;  that  he  was  so  desperate  about  his  wife's 
leaving  him  to  go  off  with  one  of  St.  Paul's  congregation  —  never 
mind  who  —  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  lake  to  drown  himself 
but  something  told  him  to  stop  and  talk  with  me  —  whom  he 
didn't  know  but  had  only  heard  of  as  one  who  might  help  him. 
He  was  a  Roman  Catholic  but  his  priest  hadn't  sympathized 
with  him  in  the  right  way.  I  had  a  long  talk  with  him  and  he 
promised  to  go  home  and  to  bed.  He  stayed  about  an  hour,  two 
to  three  a.m. 

I  had  received  a  message  to  go  to  Wellsburg  to  baptize  a  dying 
woman  and  had  to  start  at  7.30. 

I  didn't  get  to  bed  on  Saturday  until  1  a.m.  Sunday  (an 
Irish  bull  isn't  it) .  I  had  to  try  to  find  one  of  Erie's  young  gentle- 
men (?).  The  family  were  worried  because  the  head  of  the 
household  was  away  and  the  young  man  got  drunk  and  disap- 
peared. He  went  into  the  disreputable  part  of  Erie  and  I  got 
a  constable  and  searched  for  him  but  did  not  find  him.  I  saw 
sad  things,  though  they  claim  to  have  closed  all  the  bad  houses. 

I  went  to  the  jail  to  see  T.  The  Methodist  preacher  has 
persuaded  him  that  it  is  his  duty  to  die  a  Methodist  as  he  had 
been  brought  up  that  way  and  adopt  him  instead  of  Spalding  as 
his  spiritual  adviser,  and  T.  thinks  he  ought  to.  He  was  afraid 
Spalding  might  be  offended  and  said  he  thought  he  could  get 
me  in  to  see  his  execution  too.  When  I  assured  him  that  it  was 
an  unspeakable  relief  to  be  excused  from  a  duty  which  I  would 
of  course  assume  if  I  had  to,  he  said  he  knew  I  was  an  unselfish 
man  and  was  relieved  to  hear  me  say  so.  But  he  said  he  was  not 
quite  satisfied  with  this  Methodist  minister  because  he  feared 
he  was  seeking  notoriety.  I  do  not  myself  think  the  man  should 
&  be  hung-  because  he  is  not  mentally  strong  and  because  I  don't 
believe  in  capital  punishment. 

I  think  a  clergyman's  life  is  full  of  variety  and  he  has  so  many 


IOO  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

chances  to  be  useful,  that  surely  he  ought  to  be  happy  in  spite  of 
all  his  personal  disappointment. 

To-night  I  am  to  have  quite  a  dinner  party ;  have  invited 
six  young  fellows  who  belong  to  our  church  and  who  work  here 
and  board  in  boarding  houses.  It's  the  only  chance  of  getting 
better  acquainted. 

Spalding  was  a  deputy  to  the  General  Convention  which 
met  in  San  Francisco  in  1901.  "I  wish  I  could  go  to  the 
General  Convention,"  he  wrote  home  the  previous  year, 
"and  get  on  the  Committee  on  the  General  Theological 
Seminary  and  report  the  truth  of  the  thing."  At  San 
Francisco  he  was  put  on  that  committee  and  labored  hard 
to  get  the  truth  before  the  convention.  But  the  Church 
had  accepted  the  Dean's  money  and  the  Committee  would 
say  nothing  which  reflected  upon  his  administration. 
Spalding  had  taken  no  vacation  the  previous  summer,  argu- 
ing that  the  General  Convention  would  be  a  three  weeks' 
rest,  but  at  the  close  he  wrote,  "I  shall  be  glad  to  get  to 
Denver  and  rest.  The  Convention  has  done  little  but  it 
has  kept  us  so  busy  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  see  any  of 
the  sights  of  the  place  and  will  have  to  go  away  without 
going  to  Palo  Alto  or  Oakland.  To  my  mind  none  of  the 
fellows  are  very  big  men  and  if  the  Church  of  the  future  is 
to  be  what  it  ought  to  be,  greater  men  than  I  have  seen 
among  the  young  fellows  will  have  to  be  raised  up  to  take 
the  places  of  the  great  old  men  in  the  convention.  Moir 
was  easily  the  best  man  of  the  crowd  in  personality  and 
force.  Why  X.  was  made  a  bishop  I  cannot  understand 
except  that  he  is  good  and  pleasant  and  big.  C.  D.  W. 
says  that  it  might  be  a  good  plan  to  call  it  the  'oly  Katholic 
Church,  leaving  off  the  H  shows  that  it's  English  and  spell- 
ing Catholic  with  a  K  is  most  ritualistic.  Then  it  could 
be    shortened  into  the  O.  K.  Church  which  name  would 


CALLED   TO   BE   A   BISHOP  IOI 

take  with  the  masses.  Did  I  tell  you  that  convention  is 
to  adjourn  on  the  17th?  This  means  that  I  can  have  a 
first  rate  visit  in  Colorado.  I  find  that  Convention  isn't 
vacation  a  bit  and  I'll  be  glad  of  the  rest."  At  the  end  of 
two  weeks  he  was  back  in  Erie.  One  month  in  summer 
was  his  idea  of  a  rest. 

To  His  Father 

I  am  reading  Moberly's  book  on  Apostolic  Succession  and  it 
is  fast  destroying  every  atom  of  belief  I  ever  had  in  that  doc- 
trine. It  seems  to  me  to  be  a  reductio  ad  absurdum  of  the 
theory  which  it  is  intended  to  support.  Every  argument  would 
be  equally  valid  for  the  divine  right  of  kings.  If  the  President 
of  the  United  States  is  a  lawful  ruler  and  called  of  God  then,  by 
the  logic  of  Mr.  Moberly,  it  would  seem  to  follow  that  a  Congre- 
gational minister  must  also  be  and  vice  versa.  If  the  Congre- 
gational minister  is  not  a  lawful  minister  then  the  President  of 
the  United  States  is  not  a  lawful  ruler.  The  book  is  proof  to  me 
that  an  Englishman  is  incompetent  to  write  a  book  on  the  min- 
istry. He  is  blinded  by  the  strength  and  culture  and  standing 
of  the  established  Church  to  the  value  of  Dissent. 

After  this  burst  mother  will  be  glad  that  she  assured  the 
Rev.  M.  (who  wanted  to  nominate  Frank  Spalding  as  Bishop 
Coadjutor  of  Colorado)  that  I  was  just  the  right  kind  of  Church- 
man before  this  letter  arrived.  But  if  anybody  in  Colorado  wants 
to  know  what  kind  of  a  Churchman  I  am  you  can  tell  them  that 
I'm  a  Broad  Churchman,  if  you  have  to  use  terms  at  all,  for  I 
am  not  a  High  Churchman  or  a  Low  Churchman.  However, 
nobody  will  probably  be  interested  in  knowing. 

A.  says  that  the  reports  that  he  is  not  strictly  orthodox  are 
counting  against  his  getting  a  call  to  a  big  church.  If  I  were 
only  orthodox  you  see  who  knows!  As  I  do  not  wish  to  be  a 
bishop  I  guess  I'll  preach  more  heresy. 

I  am  going  to  the  gym  three  times  a  week  for  I'm  going  to  keep 
in  good  condition  if  I  can.     I  suppose  if  you  were  here  you  would 


102  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

scold  me  for  doing  outside  things,  but  surely  to  speak  before  the 
Board  of  Trade  on  the  business  man's  relation  to  the  morals  of 
the  town  is  a  chance  to  do  some  good  and  you  yourself  favored 
my  going  to  the  Central  Labor  Union.  Mr.  D.  wants  me  to 
speak  at  the  High  School,  and  as  the  children  of  our  church  are 
very  anxious  to  have  me  speak  some  morning,  I  told  him  I  would. 

B.  is  the  last  man  almost  of  my  acquaintance  among  clergy- 
men whom  I  would  think  of  as  an  active  hustling  Western  mis- 
sionary. A  very  gentlemanly  man  he  is  of  course  and  a  fine 
preacher,  but  the  ideal  rector  of  a  fashionable  city  suburban 
parish,  used  to  social  life  among  wealthy  society  people  and  not 
to  long  railroad  journeys  and  mining  camps.  But  of  course 
there  is  no  telling  what  the  new  duties  may  bring  out  of  him.  He 
is  certainly  very  conservative  in  his  churchmanship  and  very 
wise  in  his  speech.  He  can  keep  silence  even  from  good  words 
as  I  know  from  his  conduct  at  the  General  Convention,  but  I 
doubted  then  if  his  silence  was  half  as  much  pain  and  grief  to  him 
as  it  was  to  me.  He  is  that  type  of  a  man  which  I  simply  can- 
not admire  —  a  smug,  sleek  rector  of  a  rich,  fashionable  church 
who  writes  poetry  and  keeps  solid  with  the  rich  and  influential, 
and  that's  more  than  enough  on  the  subject. 

Sallie,  thinking  to  make  me  out  very  sick,  sent  for  Dr.  Goeltz 
and  he  has  just  been  here  and  gave  me  some  medicine  but  had 
nothing  much  to  say  except  to  take  it  easy.  Sallie  thought  I 
was  going  to  have  typhoid  fever  or  some  dreadful  thing. 

Spalding  did  have  typhoid  fever.  For  nine  weeks  he 
lay  in  Hamot  Hospital,  Erie,  bearing  without  complaint 
and  even  with  cheerfulness,  its  ravages.  The  family  came 
on  from  Denver  to  be  near  him  through  the  crisis.  His 
father  saw  Frank  twice  and  talked  with  him,  and  then 
himself  grew  worse  (for  he  had  been  in  failing  health 
for  several  years)  and  died  in  his  old  rectory  after  an  ill- 
ness of  three  days.  Frank  was  not  told  of  his  father's 
death  until  his  own  recovery  was  assured.     During  his 


CALLED   TO   BE   A   BISHOP  IO3 

illness  also  his  most  intimate  friend  and  room-mate  in  the 
Seminary,  Will  Moir,  died  from  appendicitis.  When  able 
to  travel  he  went  to  Virginia  Beach  to  recuperate,  and  later 
to  Colorado.  There  he  had  a  relapse  which  left  him  with 
serious  complications.  It  was  January,  1903,  before  the 
physician  permitted  him  to  return  to  his  work. 

To  His  Mother 
Easter  Day,  Virginia  Beach,  Va. 

How  will  it  seem  for  you  to  decipher  this  handwriting  again 
after  nine  weeks  of  relief  from  the  strain.  I  tell  you  its  good  to 
be  able  to  do  it  again  even  if  it  is  hard  for  folks  to  read.  We 
had  a  very  nice  lay-service  here  to-day.  When  I  saw  it  was 
only  a  lay-reader  I  felt  like  offering  my  services  but  certain  pains 
in  my  back  suggested  caution.  I  suppose  Sally  wrote  you  about 
the  doctor.  He  didn't  want  to  charge  anything  but  finally  made 
it  $75.  which  he  took  under  protest,  so  my  hospital  will  cost  less 
than  the  $500,  I  thought. 

Your  fine  Easter  present  I  am  glad  to  have.     I  intend  every 

day  to  read  one  passage.     It  ought  to  be  very  helpful  for  Bishop 

Temple  is  such  a  level  headed,  sane  man  and  so  many  books  of 

devotion  are  mystical  and  beyond  me. 

April  10. 

Isn't  it  fine  to  be  able  to  write  again.  I'm  sending  you  Jack 
Ward's  splendid  letter  about  Easter  at  St.  Paul's.  I  wasn't 
needed  a  bit.  Just  think  of  the  splendid  offerings  and  services ! 
I  was  afraid  the  Sunday  School  would  fall  way  behind  but  it 
beat  last  year's  record  !  And  think  of  Trinity  giving  $80.  Jack 
has  certainly  done  wonders  out  there.  It  makes  me  long  to  get 
back  to  work  but  there  is  no  use  thinking  about  that  until  I 
can  really  walk.  I  am  anxious  to  get  strong  enough  to  carry 
my  camera. 

I  am  very  much  interested  in  reading  Canon  Henson's  ser- 
mons on  Christian  Unity.  He  hasn't  much  use  for  the  doctrine 
of  Apostolic  Succession,  and  it's  a  comfort  to  read  it  after  that 


104  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

book  of  Moberly.  We  have  also  a  novel  to  which  I  gave  the 
name,  "The  Grace  of  Orders."  Sarah  has  read  it  but  I  haven't 
got  up  courage  yet.  Dr.  Goeltz  told  me  that  Mr.  Sell  was  telling 
people  that  I  was  the  hero.  Think  of  being  the  hero  of  a  love 
story  —  the  hero  mind  you  and  not  the  doleful  failure,  though  not 

all  my  hope  is  quite  gone. 

April  17. 

The  House  of  Bishops  is  to  elect  a  bishop  of  Salina  to-day. 
I  wonder  what  poor  man  is  fated  to  try  to  build  up  the  Church 
in  the  desert  of  Western  Kansas.  Wouldn't  it  be  a  dreadful 
field,  and  yet  I  voted  to  have  it  set  off. 

I've  finished  "The  Grace  of  Orders."  It's  a  heavy  book  but 
at  the  risk  of  having  to  pay  extra  baggage  I  shall  bring  it  out. 
The  young  clergyman  is  certainly  a  beauty. 

I  am  very  sorry  to  be  disobedient  but  I  am  sure  it  would  make 
me  much  worse  if  I  did  not  write  you  my  regular  Monday  and 
Thursday  letters.  I  am  making  good  progress.  This  morning 
I  weighed  162  lbs.  in  the  light  suit  I  bought  in  Philadelphia.  I 
wonder  whether  you  will  object  to  my  wearing  such  an  unclerical 
suit  when  I  am  in  Denver.  We  have  two  Roman  priests  at  the 
hotel  and  they  do  not  wear  clerical  vests,  and  so  it  must  be  the 
thing  to  lay  aside  the  uniform  when  off  duty. 

April  24. 

On  Tuesday  we  went  to  Hampton  Institute  which  I  think  is 
about  the  most  wonderful  place  I  ever  saw.  Mr.  Robert  Ogden 
of  New  York  who  is  the  Financial  President,  brought  down  in 
a  private  train  a  party  of  80  influential  people  and  for  their 
benefit  all  the  departments  were  in  full  swing.  It  is  especially 
an  industrial  school.  Over  a  thousand  Negroes  and  Indians  are 
taught  farming,  brick-laying,  lace-making,  tailoring,  blacksmith- 
ing  and  everything  useful.  Dr.  McConnell  was  one  of  the 
party  and  when  he  saw  me  he  came  up  and  insisted  on  taking 
Sally  and  me  under  his  wing.  He  introduced  me  to  a  lot  of  big 
guns  —  H.  W.  Mabie,  Dr.  Percy  Grant,  Albert  Shaw,  Walter 
H.  Page.     He  spoke  so  thoughtfully  of  father,  said  he  had  not 


CALLED   TO   BE   A   BISHOP  JO5 

realized  how  old  he  was,  thinking  of  him  only  as  the  wonderfully- 
strong  and  active  man  of  Erie  days. 

It  was  a  fine  sight  to  see  them  march  in  to  dinner,  led  by  their 
own  splendid  band.     We  went   in  and   heard   them  sing  their 

grace, — 

Thou  art  great  and  Thou  art  Good, 

And  we  thank  Thee  for  this  food. 

By  Thy  hand  must  we  be  fed, 

Give  us,  Lord,  our  daily  bread.     Amen. 

You  can  imagine  how  it  sounded,  —  over  800  negro  voices. 
In  the  afternoon  we  went  to  hear  the  speeches.  They  had  short 
reports  from  graduates  of  what  they  were  doing.  They  were 
wonderful.  They  seemed  all  of  them  to  be  full  of  the  sense  of 
service  and  they  told  most  simply  what  they  were  doing  for 
their  race  and  how  they  were  prospering.  Then  came  speeches 
from  the  visitors.  Dr.  Felix  Adler  made  a  most  interesting 
speech  on  the  advantage  which  the  students  of  a  disadvantaged 
race  have ;  then  the  editor  of  the  Philadelphia  Press,  Mr.  Tal- 
cott  Williams,  an  eloquent  man ;  and  finally  a  long  winded  old 
fellow  from  Boston. 

After  dinner  we  went  to  the  Folk  Song  Concert.  Sallie  and 
I  both  agree  that  it  was  the  event  of  our  lives.  It  was  an  at- 
tempt to  reproduce  exactly  the  old  days  of  slavery  with  its 
songs  of  religion,  toil  and  lastly  of  freedom.  The  lullaby  song 
was  one  of  Harry  Burleigh's.  Sometimes  the  voices  sounded 
like  an  organ.  The  basses  were  marvellous.  At  the  end  came 
the  Indians,  in  absolute  contrast.  Instead  of  the  emotional 
negro,  the  absolutely  calm  and  collected  Indians,  and  his  songs 
the  monotony  wails  we  have  heard  in  Colorado. 

I  don't  think  I  am  the  worse  for  it  though  I  am  glad  to  get 
back  to  this  haven  of  rest. 

After  a  rest  of  several  weeks  by  the  Atlantic,  Spalding 
went  to  Denver,  where  he  had  a  relapse  which  was  more 
serious  than  the  disease.    To  turn  over  in  bed,  he  said, 


106  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

was  harder  than  to  climb  Pike's  Peak.  He  slowly  regained 
his  physical  strength  and  peace  of  mind.  Not  until  Jan- 
uary i,  1903,  did  he  return  to  Erie.  Although  still  some- 
what handicapped  by  the  spinal  and  internal  trouble,  he 
took  up  his  work  at  St.  Paul's. 

To  His  Mother 

St.  Paul's  Day  and  the  reception  on  Monday  night  were  the 
best  we  ever  have  had.  There  were  lots  of  people,  lots  of  en- 
thusiasm and  good  reports.  It  is  splendid  the  way  Jack  has 
kept  things  going.  A.  B.  was  here  and  made  himself  as  agree- 
able as  he  could.  But  something  is  wrong.  He  talks  perpetually 
about  himself  and  his  troubles  and  how  people  do  not  appreciate 
him,  and  never  seems  to  think  that  he  may  be  a  little  to  blame 
himself.  He  is  a  chronic  whiner  and  when  I  think  how  much 
whining  I  have  done  in  the  last  five  years  I  am  ashamed  of  myself 
and  am  not  going  to  do  it  any  more.  Erie  is  the  best  place  on 
earth,  its  people  are  the  most  loving  and  appreciative  and  F.  S.  S. 
has  more  cause  for  joy  and  thanksgiving  than  anybody  he  knows. 
So  if  I  whine  again,  you  may  disown  me.    A.  B .  has  taught  me  that. 

Jack's  ability  and  loyalty  have  been  wonderful  and  I  mean 
this  week  to  write  to  his  mother  about  him  and  tell  her  what  a 
good  son  she  has.     It  is  fine  to  feel  that  one  is  useful  again. 

Dr.  Goeltz  is  going  to  New  York  and  wants  me  to  go  with  him 
and  consult  Dr.  Janeway  who  may  know  something  about  my 
back,  which  while  no  weaker  does  not  seem  to  be  any  stronger. 
I  had  got  quite  worked  up  to  going  when  C.  became  so  bad  that 
of  course  I  cannot  go  unless  she  improves.  However  Sarah  says 
that  you  would  say  that  it  is  all  providential,  which  means,  I 
suppose,  that  to  protect  me  from  threatened  danger  C.  has  to 
be  made  sick,  which  is  rather  hard  on  C. 

D.  asked  me  to  work  for  him  as  professor  at  the  G.  T.  S.  and 
I  wrote  frankly  declining  to  do  it  as  I  did  not  think  him  compe- 
tent. He  took  it  kindly  and  I  was  very  glad  as  I  was  afraid  he 
would  be  offended  and  yet  I  could  do  nothing  else. 


CALLED   TO   BE   A   BISHOP  107 

E.  invited  me  to  visit  him  at  Nyack  to  attend  a  conference  on 
the  second  coming  of  Christ,  and  when  I  wrote  declining  he  re- 
plied in  a  long  letter  telling  me  to  trust  in  Jesus.  I  wrote  this 
a.m.  telling  him  he  was  a  religious  loafer  and  ought  to  get  to 
work. 

The  people  of  St.  Paul's  were  indeed  appreciative  of  their 
rector,  and  in  his  sickness  and  absence  rallied  generously  to 
the  support  of  the  work.  For  several  years  the  parish  had 
run  behind  at  the  rate  of  $600  to  $800  per  year  and  had 
accumulated  a  floating  debt.  Spalding  took  the  ground 
that  such  financial  matters  were  vestry  business  and  said 
nothing  about  it,  though  it  worried  him  quite  a  little  for 
there  was  no  excuse  for  it.  Great  was  his  joy,  therefore, 
when  shortly  after  his  return  one  of  the  members  of  the 
church  came  to  him  and  said  that  he  was  greatly  worried 
about  the  floating  debt  on  the  parish  and  offered  to  go  him- 
self among  the  people  and  raise  the  $3000  needed,  if  he  had 
the  rector's  consent.  By  March  1  he  came  to  Spalding 
with  $4000.  The  debt  was  paid  and  $1000  was  added  to 
the  building  fund  for  Trinity  Mission  which  had  long 
needed  a  church. 

To  His  Mother 

March  3. 

We  are  all  very  happy  in  St.  Paul's  parish.  Dr.  Magill  has 
succeeded  in  his  attempt  and  has  paid  over  to  me  $3955.  Just 
think  of  it !  Everybody  gave  generously,  everybody  told  him 
how  much  they  loved  me,  everybody  is  enthusiastic  and  cheerful. 
If  only  we  can  get  Trinity  built  won't  it  be  fine.  We  have  about 
three  thousand  dollars  toward  it  and  no  one  can  object  to  the 
project  on  the  ground  of  having  a  debt  on  the  church.  You  can 
imagine  how  happy  it  makes  me  for  the  people  have  been  so 
loving  throughout  it  all  and  show  now  they  appreciate  all  that 
I've  tried  to  do  and  how  unjust  I've  been  in  saying  they  were 
unappreciative. 


108  FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 

I  am  going  to  preach  on  "love"  in  Lent,  (i)  God's  love  for 
us  (2)  our  love  for  God  (3)  our  love  for  the  brethren  (4)  our  love 
for  humanity  (5)  our  love  of  ourselves  (6)  our  love  of  enemies. 
It  is  a  great  relief  to  have  one's  subjects  selected.  It's  half  the 
battle. 

I  went  yesterday  on  invitation  of  the  superintendent  of  the 
Erie  City  Iron  Works  to  listen  to  an  arbitration  between  the 
moulders  in  Erie  and  their  employers.  It  was  very  interesting 
and  gave  me  even  more  sympathy  for  the  men  than  I  had  be- 
fore. It  seems  to  be  just  a  case  of  which  side  is  the  stronger. 
Justice  and  fairness  are  not  spoken  of  as  results  but  as  simply 
conditions  of  the  battle. 

I  suppose  Holy  Communion  on  Saints  Days  is  a  good  thing 
but  so  few  come  and  those  who  stay  away  seem  rather  the  most 
substantial  people.  Those  who  come  do  not  represent  a  very 
virile  sort  of  Christianity. 

At  the  Diocesan  Convention  in  1903  Spalding  was  elected 
a  delegate  to  the  Missionary  Council,  which  was  to  meet  in 
Washington  in  the  fall.  "I  was  pleased  with  that,"  he 
wrote  home,  "I  think  I'd  rather  go  there  than  to  the  Gen- 
eral Convention."  One  of  his  friends  wanted  to  go  to  the 
General  Convention  and,  as  both  could  not  be  elected, 
Spalding  withdrew  his  name  and  so  elected  his  friend.  At 
Washington  Spalding  met  his  old  friends  and  classmates 
—  Knight,  Jones,  Wills,  Kirkus,  Swett,  and  they  lunched 
together  and  visited  the  seminary  at  Alexandria.  "Bishop 
Tuttle  made  one  of  the  greatest  speeches  lever  heard. 
Justice  Brewer  spoke  eloquently  on  the  Home  Missionary 
as  a  Patriot,  and  Bishop  Restarick  made  one  of  the  finest 
speeches  on  his  work.  The  President  shook  hands  very 
cordially  and  Mrs.  Roosevelt  looked  very  sweet  and  pleas- 
ant. It's  fine  seeing  the  old  fellows  and  hearing  all  the 
great  men.     Wasn't  it  dreadfully  sad  about  Bishop  Leon- 


CALLED   TO   BE   A   BISHOP  IO9 

ard.  What  a  job  ahead  of  some  poor  man  to  take  his  place, 
for  it  always  seemed  to  me  a  particularly  hard  field."  Little 
did  he  dream  that  he  would  be  asked,  before  another  year 
had  passed,  to  take  that  very  difficult  field. 

Frank  Spalding  felt  that  he  was  a  failure  in  reaching  men 
with  the  Gospel.  He  was  himself  manly,  his  preaching 
was  intellectual  rather  than  emotional  and  yet  dealt  with 
life  and  its  practical  problems,  he  was  human  and  genuine, 
simple  and  straightforward,  without  the  least  artificiality 
and  conventionality.  And  yet,  with  a  humble  opinion  of 
himself  and  the  highest  ideals  before  him,  he  often  felt  he 
failed.  Or  shall  we  say,  men  failed  to  appreciate  him  ? 
The  fact  is  that  many  of  the  most  virile  men  in  this  genera- 
tion have  no  use  for  the  Church,  and  many  of  the  men  who 
do  attend  it  prefer  a  clergyman  who  acts  the  part  most 
theatrically.  His  failure  to  reach  men  with  real  religion 
worried  Spalding,  as  many  of  his  letters  show. 

To  His  Mother 

Nov.  28,  1903. 

N.  handed  me  just  before  I  went  into  church  last  Sunday  a 
list  of  names  of  forty  men  who  were  supposed  to  belong  to  St. 
Paul's  with  the  question,  "Why  can't  you  fill  those  men  with 
zeal  and  enthusiasm  for  the  Church?"  He  throws  that  up  at 
me  constantly  and,  though  I  don't  think  he  means  it  as  a  hint 
to  resign,  he  shows  that  he  thinks  I  have  failed  to  meet  the  real 
problem  here.  I  feel  sort  of  ashamed  having  come  home  full  of 
enthusiasm  for  the  winter's  work  and  then  be  made  to  feel  like 
a  man  butting  his  head  against  a  stone  wall,  so  early  in  the 
season.  I  know  you  would  tell  me  that  Mr.  N.  isn't  the  whole 
thing  but  the  trouble  is  that  he  is  about  the  only  man  who  will 
stand  behind  me  in  real  religious  work  and  he  keeps  sticking  pins 
in  all  the  time. 

I    am    thinking    seriously    of    having    a   mission  and  asking 


HO  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

Fr.  Huntington.     Perhaps  this  may  arouse  the  people,  for  I  am 
almost  in  despair. 

I  went  to  Z.  to  preach  for  Mr.  X.  X.  is  the  greatest  dude 
I  ever  saw.  He  has  the  most  affected  ways.  He  is  about  as 
unmanly  a  man  as  I  know  but  for  all  that  his  church  is  doing 
splendidly.  He  has  more  men  out  than  I  can  get  at  St.  Paul's. 
He  has  lots  of  helpers  among  the  men.  I  wonder  if  it  is  I  or 
Erie.  Last  night  E.  dropped  in  and  he  knows  X.  and  thinks  about 
him  just  as  I  do.  I  asked  him  why  I  couldn't  get  the  men  to 
come  to  church  as  well  as  X.  He  said  it  was  because  I  worked 
too  hard  and  did  not  take  time  to  go  among  the  people  socially, 
etc.  I  wonder  if  he  isn't  right.  You  know,  by  the  society  people 
of  Erie,  I  am  treated  as  a  complete  stranger.  When  one  does 
go  and  see  the  poor  and  the  sick  and  the  dying  and  I  seem  to  have 
plenty  of  that  to  do,  one  gets  dreadfully  serious  and  I  guess  I 
am  getting  that  sort  of  a  reputation  and  it  has  separated  me  from 
the  lives  of  society  people  and  I  have  little  influence  over  them, 
and  yet  they  need  help  the  worst  way. 

Spalding  never  despaired  of  solving  any  problem.  He 
sought  first  of  all  to  see  clearly  just  what  was  to  be  solved, 
and  then  he  gave  to  it  his  entire  attention.  He  held  no 
mission.  A  mission  is  frequently  the  shifting  of  the  clergy- 
man's responsibility  to  the  shoulders  of  other  men,  brought 
in  for  the  purpose.  And  the  men  who  do  that  sort  of  in- 
tensive spiritual  culture  are,  for  the  most  part,  men  who 
dress  peculiarly  and  express  the  reactionary  and  traditional 
forces  within  the  Church,  though  personally  full  of  religious 
zeal  and  mystical  fervor.  The  mission  appeals  to  certain 
types  of  men  and  especially  to  women,  and  when  the  mis- 
sioner  has  gone  the  task  of  the  parish  minister  is  increased 
threefold  in  difficulty.  Many  people  fancy  that  the  suc- 
cess was  due  to  the  type  of  churchmanship  of  the  mis- 
sioner  or  other  external  things,  and  forget  that  it  was  the 
personality  of  the  man  that   counted.      Spalding   deter- 


CALLED   TO   BE    A   BISHOP  III 

mined  to  make  Lent  a  time  in  which  to  try  for  men  partic- 
ularly and  he  called  upon  the  Brotherhood  of  St.  Andrew 
to  cooperate  with  him.  He  solved  his  problem  and  men 
came  to  church  in  increasing  numbers. 

To  His  Mother 

I've  been  getting  the  Lenten  cards  ready  and  it  is  not  easy 
after  one  has  been  in  a  place  for  seven  Lents  to  think  of  new 
subjects.  On  Sunday  evenings  I  shall  speak  on  the  "Inadequacy 
of  Worldly  Wisdom,"  contrasting  such  Proverbs  as  "Let  well 
enough  alone"  with  "Be  ye  perfect,"  "One  good  turn  deserves 
another"  with  "Give  expecting  nothing,"  "Nothing  succeeds 
like  success"  with  "I  lay  down  my  life,"  "Where  ignorance  is 
bliss,  etc."  "Grow  in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge."  I  want  to 
make  these  sermons  good  for  men  for  the  Brotherhood  to  work 
on. 

I  am  busy  now  with  my  paper  for  the  ministers'  meeting.  It 
is  on  miracles  and  I  am  afraid  you  will  not  like  it  so  I  shall  not 
send  it  to  you  to  read.  As  you  said  in  your  last  letter  you  have 
to  let  rash  youth  do  its  own  thinking,  though  I  am  not  very 
young  being  now  nearly  39.  Think  of  reaching  but  one  year  of 
40 !  It  is  my  contention  that  though  we  might  ourselves  be- 
lieve in  all  the  miracles  just  as  recorded  we  have  no  right  to  say 
that  those  who  are  inclined  to  explain  them  in  a  natural  way 
can  not  be  Christians. 

I  got  a  letter  from  Bishop  telling  me  that  A.  had  really 

failed  in  B.  and  been  asked  to  resign.  So  I  wrote  him  a  very 
frank  letter  telling  him  that  he  must  not  deceive  himself  into 
thinking  that  he  was  an  intellectual  giant  when  he  was  really 
just  a  simple  failure  in  that  kind  of  work  and  that  he  had  better 
accept  the  situation  frankly.  It  made  me  a  little  provoked  when 
he  wrote  as  if  because  he  could  not  believe  this  and  that  doctrine 
that  therefore  they  could  not  be  true.  It  was  like  a  little  spy 
glass  saying,  "Because  I  can't  see  those  stars  the  big  telescope 
has  discovered,  they  do  not  exist."  , 


112  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

In  his  rectory  at  Erie,  one  was  always  meeting  humble 
people,  people  who  seemed  to  feel  at  home  there.  Many 
notable  lecturers  also  spent  the  night  when  they  visited  the 
city.  F.  Hopkinson  Smith,  Charles  Wagner,  the  author 
of  "The  Simple  Life,"  Dr.  Lyman  Abbott,  the  Dean  of  Ely 
and  other  distinguished  men  were  at  such  times  Spalding's 
guests.  He  frequently  presented  the  lecturer  to  the  audi- 
ence. "I  am  to  introduce  Lyman  Abbott  and  am  hard  at 
work  preparing  a  short  and  pithy  introduction.     I  think 

I'll  say  — 

'Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  Some  years  ago  in  a  book 
which  many  of  us  read  it  was  prophesied  that  the  time  would 
come  when  we  should  not  have  to  go  to  church  or  lecture 
hall  to  hear  the  words  of  great  preachers  or  teachers,  but 
stay  comfortably  at  home,  possibly  lying  in  bed  on  Sunday 
morning,  could  by  means  of  telephone  or  phonograph  or 
other  instrument  to  be  invented  hear  and  even  see  the 
preacher  in  his  distant  hall.  As  we  read  the  prophesy  I 
think  we  felt  that  even  should  the  future  give  such  oppor- 
tunity to  us  we  should  want  at  times  at  least  to  see  with 
our  very  eyes  the  preacher  and  hear  his  very  voice.  In  a 
way  not  thought  of  by  the  author  of  'Looking  Backward' 
has  one  great  teacher  fulfilled  the  prophesy.  By  means 
of  the  Outlook  Magazine  his  sound  has  gone  out  into  all 
lands  and  his  words  to  the  ends  of  the  world  and  yet  I  am 
sure,  delightful  as  is  the  other  way  of  receiving  his  message, 
we  are  delighted  to  hear  and  see  him  in  the  old  way.  I 
have  the  honor  of  introducing  Dr.  Lyman  Abbott.'  How 
will  that  do?" 

To  His  Mother 

To-night  we  had  a  Trinity  vestry  meeting.  They  want  the 
new  church  to  be  a  memorial  to  father,  which  I  thought  was 
very  nice  of  them  for  they  proposed  it  themselves.     We  have  a 


CALLED   TO   BE   A   BISHOP  1 1 3 

fine  committee  out  there  and  are  working  up  interest  among  the 
people  of  that  part  of  the  town. 

Yesterday  was  a  fine  day  and  we  had  good  congregations  at 
all  services.  I  preached  on  foreign  missions  for  all  I  was  worth 
in  the  morning.  We  sent  out  letters  which  the  Board  furnished 
and  got  $70.  which  I  thought  was  pretty  good.  The  text  was 
"The  Field  is  the  World,"  and  I  tried  to  prove  that  not  to  be 
interested  in  foreign  missions  was  to  be  no  Christian  at  all. 

I  think  we  are  going  to  have  at  least  40  confirmed  which  will 
make  us  nearly  seventy  for  the  year,  which  beats  our  record- 
Every  one  is  most  willing  that  the  new  church  should  be  a 
memorial  to  Father. 

For  Diocesan  Missions  we  have  but  $320.00  —  we  ought  to 
give  $400.  I  really  do  not  see  how  I  can  get  any  more  out  of 
the  people  for  I  have  begged  until  I  am  tired  and  sick  of  it. 

The  Slimmer  of  1904  Spalding  spent  in  the  Rockies,  "the 
best  place  of  all."  In  spite  of  the  warning  of  the  previous 
year  he  took  but  the  month  of  July  for  his  vacation,  and 
was  back  again  in  Erie  for  the  first  Sunday  of  August.  He 
tells  of  a  baptism  in  a  house  of  a  society  family,  because  of 
the  illness  of  the  mother,  and  then  writes,  "It  seems  almost 
wicked  for  such  frivolous  people  to  take  such  promises.  I 
asked  A.  what  he  meant  by  promising  to  bring  the  child 
to  hear  sermons  when  he  never  came  himself,  and  I  really 
think  he  saw  how  inconsistent  it  was.  I  have  completely 
failed  to  interest  personally  in  the  Church  the  well-to-do 
people.  Alas,  Alas."  He  went  to  the  choir  boys'  camp  and 
there  joined  in  all  their  sports  and  told  stories  around  the 
fire  at  night.  He  built  the  Holiday  House,  paying  for  most 
of  it  out  of  the  wedding  fees,  and  putting  on  the  roof  with 
his  own  hands.  With  September  the  winter's  work  began 
in  church  and  parish  house. 


114  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

To  His  Mother 

Oct.  1904. 

I  am  going  to  preach  five  sermons  on  what  Dr.  Fairbairn  calls 
the  "Foundation  Pillars  for  a  truly  scientific  life  of  Christ." 
I  hope  it  will  instruct  the  people  a  little  better  for  some  are  going 
off  to  Christian  Science.  What  an  advantage  a  Christian  Science 
reader,  with  a  little  group  whom  he  can  see  often,  has  over  the 
busy  rector  of  a  big  church  who  simply  cannot  see  all  the  people 
frequently.  I  have  been  wondering  how  it  would  be  to  get  up 
a  class  in  Christian  theology.  It  might  offset  the  effect  of  the 
Christian  Science.  It  means  a  lot  of  extra  work  but  I  suppose 
that  cannot  be  helped. 

I  went  to  see  M.  to-day  and  talked  theology.  She  has  many 
doubts  about  the  creed,  but  after  my  explanation  she  is  going 
to  try  the  Church  a  little  longer.  I  also  attended  a  gathering 
of  Unitarian  preachers,  a  sort  of  convocation,  and  heard  a  really 
fine  paper  on  the  Psychology  of  Religion.  They  were  a  most 
self-satisfied  and  elegant  crowd. 

They  seem  to  be  having  a  grand  time  in  Boston,  but  I  really 
don't  think  I  care  much  to  be  there.  I  got  pretty  tired  of  mar- 
riage and  divorce  in  San  Francisco. 

Something  indeed  was  happening  in  Boston,  all  unknown 
to  Frank  Spalding,  and  yet  profoundly  affecting  his  future 
career.  In  the  House  of  Bishops,  Bishop  Scarborough 
nominated  him  as  missionary  bishop  of  the  District  of 
Utah.  He  was  really  put  forward  by  Rt.  Rev.  Boyd  Vin- 
cent, bishop  of  Southern  Ohio,  who  was  an  Erie  man  and 
had  held  him  as  a  baby  on  his  knee  in  the  old  rectory  when 
his  father  was  rector  of  St.  Paul's.  Bishop  Vincent  had 
invited  him  to  become  the  Dean  of  St.  Paul's  Pro-Cathe- 
dral, Cincinnati,  in  1901,  and  knew  the  work  which  he  was 
doing  in  Erie.  In  deference  to  the  wish  of  Bishop  Scar- 
borough, the  senior  of  the  two,  who  was  a  friend  of  Frank's 


CALLED   TO   BE    A   BISHOP  115 

father,  Bishop  Vincent  gave  way  and  seconded  the  nomi- 
nation. Out  of  ten  nominations  he  received  the  majority 
of  votes.  Before  the  House  of  Deputies  was  informed  of 
the  choice  of  the  House  of  Bishops,  as  frequently  happens, 
the  information  was  given  to  the  newspapers,  and  Spalding 
was  told  by  telegraph  of  his  selection. 

To  His  Mother 

Oct.  19,  1904. 

Mr.  R.  telegraphed  first  and  after  that  the  others  which  I 
enclose.  It  was  all  so  sudden  that  I  hardly  know  what  to  think. 
Of  course  it  must  be  ratified  by  the  House  of  Deputies  but  I 
suppose  that  will  follow.  It  is  just  what  I  didn't  want  as  you 
know,  for  it  is  so  hard  being  a  bishop,  so  thankless,  and  Utah  is 
the  hardest  of  them  all.  You  know  I  don't  mean  by  this  that 
I'm  afraid  of  hard  work  if  it's  the  right  sort  of  hard  work,  but  I 
know  from  father's  life  what  the  hardness  of  this  is.  It  al- 
ways seemed  to  me  that  a  missionary  bishop's  business  was  to 
preach  the  Gospel  to  the  regions  beyond  and  not  to  beg  money 
for  others  to  do  it,  and  so  if  I'm  to  go  it  must  mean  go  to  stay. 
And  they  surely  didn't  elect  me  because  they  had  any  reason  to 
think  I  would  be  a  good  beggar.  I  talked  with  Mr.  M.  in  Phila- 
delphia a  little  about  Bishop  M.  and  his  chief  disappointment 
seems  to  be  that  "he  didn't  get  the  money." 

When  his  name  came  before  the  House  of  Deputies  it 
met  with  serious  opposition.  It  is  the  custom  of  the  House, 
when  nominations  are  received,  to  go  into  secret  session  and 
to  hear  from  friends  and  opponents  about  the  man.  Dr. 
Baker,  who  knew  Spalding  at  Princeton  where  he  had  been 
a  lay  reader  in  his  parish,  and  Major  Reynolds,  senior 
warden  of  St.  Paul's  and  deputy  from  the  Diocese  of  Pitts- 
burgh, spoke  in  his  favor.  Then  arose  Mr.  A.  of  Denver  who 
declared  that  Mr.  Spalding  was  a  good  man  but  that  "he  did 
not  believe  Moses  wrote  the  Pentateuch  nor  does  he  believe 


Il6  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

in  the  Revelation."  Rev.  Mr.  B.,  of  Nebraska,  took  the 
platform  and  said  that  he  understood  Mr.  Spalding  was  not 
sound  in  the  faith.  Dr.  Fiske,  of  Rhode  Island,  a  ritualist 
and  a  broad-minded  gentleman,  assured  the  House  that  he 
had  heard  there  might  be  trouble  about  Mr.  Spalding,  and 
so  had  taken  pains  to  find  out,  and  he  could  testify  that  he 
was  sound  in  the  faith.  Whereupon  the  gentleman  from 
Denver  said  that  he  would  withdraw  his  objection.  The 
deputy  from  Nebraska  remained  obdurate,  and  Fond  du 
Lac  followed  his  lead  and  voted  against  confirmation.  One 
of  the  deputies  from  Pittsburgh  wrote  Spalding  that  "a 
few  belated  cave-dwellers  objected  to  his  selection,  but  as 
for  his  robbing  the  Church  of  the  Mosaic  authorship  of  the 
Pentateuch,  it  was  like  an  accusation  of  clothes-line  stealing 
against  the  Presiding  Bishop.  Not  half  the  clergymen  in 
the  House  believe  that  Moses  wrote  the  Pentateuch." 

The  Living  Church  came  out  with  an  editorial,  approv- 
ing his  election  and  saying  that  he  was  a  "broad-minded 
Churchman  rather  than  a  Broad  Churchman."  The  peo- 
ple of  St.  Paul's  bewailed  his  election,  declaring  that  his 
going  would  be  a  death  blow  to  their  parish,  that  he  was 
too  brilliant  to  go  to  Utah,  that  he  was  too  good  a 
preacher  and  ought  not  to  sacrifice  himself,  as  a  bishop 
need  not  be  a  good  preacher.  His  sister  wrote  to  their 
mother,  "When  they  get  Frank  in  the  House  of  Bishops 
they'll  have  a  new  article,  one  who  does  not  care  for 
rings  or  crosses  or  robes.  The  people  here  are  sort  of 
stunned  and  don't  want  him  to  go.  What  do  you  think? 
Must  he  accept?  Frank  would  be  an  ideal  bishop,  for  he 
has  had  good  training  and  knows  what  a  bishop  ought  to 
be.  It  is  so  nice  to  have  it  come  as  such  a  surprise,  no 
interviews  or  overtures  before  hand.  Our  relatives  seem 
to  think  more  of  the  honor  than  the  Church  people  here." 


CALLED   TO   BE    A   BISHOP  117 

To  His  Mother 

Oct.  26,  1904. 

I  wrote  to  Bishop  Tuttle  and  asked  him  several  things  I 
thought  I  ought  to  know  before  reaching  a  decision.  Bishop 
Leonard,  the  last  thing  before  he  died,  signed  a  mortgage  for 
$30,000  on  the  hospital.  Then  there  is  a  debt  of  $5000  on  the 
bishop's  house.  The  Bishop  and  the  Dean  did  not  get  along 
and  the  Dean  and  his  friends  had  a  strong  party  and  expected 
that  said  Dean  would  be  chosen  bishop.  I  asked  Bishop  Tuttle 
how  much  money  had  to  be  begged  in  the  East  and  how  many 
friends  Utah  has. 

If  I'm  to  go  I'd  like  to  get  at  it  as  soon  as  possible  for  hang- 
ing on  here  will  be  very  hard.  If  the  vestry  will  call  A.  in  my 
place,  I  feel  that  everything  would  go  on  nicely.  As  you  know 
I  have  felt  for  some  time  that  I  could  help  St.  Paul's  by  going. 
It  was  too  much  Spalding  and  too  little  the  parish  and  I  did  not 
seem  able  to  help  it. 

The  people  here  are  very  sorry  to  have  me  go.  Many  who 
have  really  taken  the  trouble  to  come  to  church  assure  me  that 
I  am  much  too  great  a  preacher  to  be  buried  in  the  deserts  of 
Utah.  If,  however,  I  hadn't  been  elected  to  Salt  Lake  I  am 
given  to  understand  that  I  might  have  been  elected  bishop  of 
Central  Pennsylvania,  and  I  guess  I  am  better  fitted  for  the  West. 

I  wish  I  could  feel  as  you  do  about  bishops,  but  I  don't.  I 
never  thought  much  of  them  as  bishops,  and  I  don't  see  how  I 
can  think  very  much  of  myself. 

It  will  seem  strange  to  give  up  pastoral  work  just  when  I  am 
beginning  to  know  how  to  help  people  and  become  an  ecclesias- 
tical peddler,  and  yet  you  actually  want  me  to  do  it.  I  don't 
quite  understand  what  you  see  in  it. 

Oct.  30. 

I've  quite  decided  to  go  and  I  told  the  vestry  last  night  though 
my  formal  resignation  is  not  to  be  given  till  next  week  Friday 
when  there  is  a  regular  vestry  meeting. 

I  wish  St.  Thomas'  Day  wasn't  so  near  Christmas  for  I  al- 


1 1 8  PRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

ways  was  fond  of  that  old  doubter  and  it  seems  necessary  to  have 

the  consecration  on  a  saint's  day.     I  might  ask to  preach 

though  I  don't  want  a  man  who  would  waste  much  time  over 
apostolic  succession  as  Bishop  Cox  did  for  father. 

It  seems  that  my  election  was  a  keen  disappointment  to  the 
Catholic  party,  though  the  Living  Church  comes  out  hand- 
somely, informed  by  a  young  friend  of  mine  who  happened  to 

be  in  Milwaukee  at  the  time.     He  went  to  see  Mr.  and 

found  him  in  the  dumps  because  he  thought  I  was  a  Unitarian, 
etc.  and  cheered  him  with  the  good  news  that  I  believed  the 
creed ! 

The  two  things  I've  done  here,  preaching  and  pastoral  work, 
are  worth  little  in  a  bishop,  while  the  things  I've  failed  at, 
money  getting  and  winning  workers  for  the  Church,  are  all 
important.  The  only  reason  I'm  going  is  because  the  Church 
must  have  a  man  out  there  and  she  has  asked  me  to  be  that 
man  whether  I  like  it  or  not.  And  I  don't  much  like  it.  The 
honor  is  nothing.  The  idea  that  all  bishops  are  equal  is  only 
amusing.  But  having  burned  the  bridges  behind  me  there  is 
no  use  belittling  the  land  I  must  travel  through  and  so  I'm 
trying  to  believe  with  you  that  it  is  a  great  honor  and  a  grand 
country  and  a  perfect  life. 

Nov.  3,  1904. 

How  hard  it  is  to  do  anything  for  the  rich.  That  part  of  one's 
life,  I  suppose,  stops  when  he  becomes  a  bishop. 

Talking  with  Miss makes  me  see  what  a  definite  step  I 

am  taking.  There  are  two  directions  in  which  a  man  may  grow. 
He  may  develop  as  a  parish  priest  and  preacher,  and  hope  some- 
time to  be  rector  of  a  great  parish  like  Dr.  Dix  or  Dr.  Hunting- 
ton, or  Dr.  Floyd  Tompkins.  Or  he  may  be  a  bishop  and  try 
to  be  a  great  bishop  like  father  was.  The  lines  of  development 
are  quite  apart.  I've  been  sure  for  a  long  time  that  a  bishop 
has  definitely  to  stop  running  parishes  and  confine  himself  to 
shepherding  priests  or  he  would  be  steadily  unhappy.  Now  I've 
so  far  tried  to.  be  the  pastor  and  preacher  and  I'm  changing  into 


CALLED   TO   BE   A   BISHOP  H9 

the  bishop  and  administrator  and  I  really  wish  it  had  not  been  so 
determined  for  I  like  the  first  best.  But  I  see  the  change  must 
be  made  and  if  I  have  any  preaching  gifts  they  will  not  hurt  me 
as  a  bishop. 

Nov.  7,  1904. 

I'm  going  to  Princeton  on  Friday  and  see  the  game  and  forget 
all  about  being  a  bishop  and  Salt  Lake  and  the  Mormons  and 
all  the  rest  of  it,  and  I  don't  care  who  knows  it.  Then  Monday 
I'm  going  to  New  York  and  call  at  the  Missions  House. 

Bishop  Whitehead  says  I  may  have  a  confirmation  before  I 
go  and  perhaps  in  that  way  I  can  get  a  lot  of  men  and  women 
who  have  been  shy.  A.  made  me  very  happy  by  telling  me  that 
he  expected  to  be  confirmed.  I've  been  seriously  thinking  of 
trying  to  raise  $4000  and  pay  off  the  Trinity  debt  and  have 
it  all  clear  before  I  go.  It  might  be  good  practice  for  the  future 
begging  I  must  do.  I  have  never  asked  anybody  before  and 
if  I  really  went  at  it  I  might  succeed,  and  it  would  be  great  not 
to  have  father's  memorial  in  the  hands  of  some  new  man  who 
could  not  feel  toward  it  as  I  do. 

I'm  just  praying  for  grace  to  keep  my  temper  and  my  self  con- 
trol so  that  I  can  leave  here  without  any  word  except  of  gratitude 
and  love.  One  of  the  compensations  of  being  a  bishop  is  that 
I  shall  be  absolutely  free  to  speak  my  own  mind  and  have  my 
own  views. 

The  chief  thing  about  being  a  bishop  seems  to  be  getting  a 
ring  and  a  pectoral  cross.  Of  course  they  are  all  kind  but  some- 
how the  thing  seems  so  small  and  petty  when  you  take  in  all 
those  frills.  Taylor  said  the  parish  would  bring  forth  the  best 
robe  and  put  it  on  me  but  the  clergy  proposed  to  put  the  ring 
on  my  finger.  I  tried  to  head  him  off  but  it  seemed  to  have  gone 
too  far.  I  positively  declined  to  accept  the  pectoral  cross.  The 
whole  thing  is  rapidly  making  me  sick.  One  would  imagine  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles  read,  "The  Holy  Ghost  said,  'set  me  apart 
Barnabas  and  Saul,  giving  each  two  sets  of  robes,  a  ring  and  a 
pectoral  cross.' " 


I2o  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

I'm  trying  to  obey  your  instructions  and  let  them  give  me  all 
they  want  to  but  it  is  a  bitter  pill  to  swallow,  and  if  they  let 
me  go  away  without  having  paid  the  floating  debt  on  the  church 
and  helped  on  a  good  bit  toward  Trinity  I  will  feel  as  if  every- 
thing I  take  from  them  was  like  robbing  the  Church.  The  whole 
thing  is  ridiculous.  I  am  expected  either  to  pay  all  the  expenses 
of  the  consecration  myself  or  beg  it  from  my  people,  so  Bishop 
Tuttle  says.  I  shall  certainly  not  beg  one  penny  of  it.  I  guess 
I  shall  have  enough  all  right,  though  it  will  cost  a  lot.  I  do  hate 
the  red  tape.  My,  but  I  shall  be  glad  when  it  is  all  over  with. 
May  God  save  me  from  ever  caring  for  such  things. 

Spalding  went  to  Princeton,  saw  Yale  defeat  his  team,  and 
read  the  lesson  next  day  in  the  church  where  he  had  been 
a  lay  reader  and  chorister  seventeen  years  before.  He 
visited  the  Basin  where  he  had  conducted  service  as  a  stu- 
dent, and,  in  spite  of  slush  and  rain,  gathered  together  two 
children  and  two  adults  and  preached  to  them  his  sermon  on 
"  God  is  Light."  That  night  he  spent  with  the  boys  in  a 
college  dormitory.  He  had  thrown  off  old  cares  and  new 
responsibilities  and  was  a  boy  again.  Then  he  went  to 
Cambridge  Springs  for  a  few  days  of  quiet  preparation. 
Meanwhile,  the  parish  brought  forth  money  as  well  as 
robes,  and  paid  off  the  floating  debt  on  the  church  and  the 
$4000  on  Trinity,  as  a  sign  of  their  love  and  appreciation. 

The  consecration  took  place  in  St.  Paul's,  Erie,  on  De- 
cember 14,  1904.  His  friends,  Arthur  R.  Taylor  and  E.  J. 
Knight  (who  was  his  classmate  in  the  seminary),  attended 
him,  Bishops  Whittaker  and  Talbot  were  the  presenters, 
and  Bishops  Tuttle,  Scarborough  and  Whitehead  the  con- 
secrators.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Bishop  of 
Southern  Ohio,  who  spent  no  time  on  apostolic  succession, 
but  taking  as  his  subject  "the  Prior  Claim  and  the  Larger 
Duty,"  stressed  the  apostolic  call  as  a  missionary  call  to 


CALLED   TO   BE   A  BISHOP  121 

serve  the  whole  world  and  bring  it  to  Christ.  He  reminded 
the  parish  that  twice  in  the  same  generation  it  was  offered 
the  privilege  of  giving  its  rector  to  the  missionary  episco- 
pate, a  father  and  a  son,  almost  to  the  same  field.  He 
told  the  people  and  the  bishops  present  that  the  missionary 
bishop  had  an  element  of  honor  not  given  to  the  diocesan 
bishop.  He  is  the  chosen  of  the  Church  in  the  most  repre- 
sentative gathering  and  is  regarded  by  the  Church  as  her 
true  hero.  Bishop  Vincent  said  most  truly,  as  all  the 
records  of  the  first  years  of  Christianity  prove,  "A  bishop 
is  never  so  truly  a  bishop,  after  the  apostolic  model,  as 
when  he  is  a  missionary  bishop."  He  told  Spalding  that 
he  was  wrong  when  he  said,  "I  am  only  a  pastor  and  try 
to  be  a  preacher;  I  am  not  good  at  raising  money,"  but  he 
was  right  when  he  said,  "If  I  had  not  been  willing  to  go,  I 
should  not  have  been  worthy  to  stay."  The  new  work 
called  him  to  gather  and  care  for  scattered  flocks,  send  them 
shepherds  and  preach  the  glad  tidings.  "Go,  then,  dear 
brother,  in  the  faith  and  strength  of  it  all,  as  your  father 
went  before  you,  and  as  the  first  Bishop  of  Utah,  here  with 
us  to-day,  went  before  him.  Go !  and  never  cease  to  hear 
your  Divine  Master's  reassurance:  'Lo!  I  am  with  yoil 
always  even  to  the  end.'" 


X 

f 

The  Church  in  Utah 

The  missionary  district  of  Utah,  where  Frank  Spalding 
was  sent  by  the  Church  as  its  bishop,  comprised  the  State 
of  Utah,  and  parts  of  Nevada,  Wyoming  and  Colorado. 
From  Tonopah,  Nevada,  the  most  westerly  station,  to 
Durango,  Col.,  in  the  southeast,  by  the  shortest  railroad 
route,  he  had  to  travel  two  hundred  miles  further  than 
from  Portland,  Maine,  to  Omaha,  Nebraska.  The  travel- 
ing was  over  all  kinds  of  country,  mountains,  sandy  deserts, 
sage  brush  plains  and  fertile  valleys ;  and  he  had  to  go  in 
all  sorts  of  ways,  railroads,  broad  gauge  and  narrow  gauge, 
besides  all  manner  of  stage  coaches  and  automobiles. 

Spalding  arrived  in  Salt  Lake  City,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  new  year,  three  weeks  after  his  consecration,  where 
he  received  a  cordial  welcome  from  the  Church  people  and 
citizens.  He  straightway  set  about  familiarizing  himself 
with  the  work  of  the  Church  in  Salt  Lake  City;  which 
consisted  of  two  self-supporting  parishes,  a  well-conducted 
school  for  girls,  Rowland  Hall,  and  a  hospital,  St.  Mark's, 
in  need  of  repairs  and  heavily  in  debt.  With  the  three 
Church  clergymen  of  Salt  Lake  and  the  physicians  on  the 
hospital  staff  and  the  teachers  of  Rowland  Hall,  the  new 
bishop  was  delighted.  The  only  thing  which  made  him 
homesick  was  the  "Episcopal  residence  —  so  empty  and 
big  and  ugly."  After  Erie,  it  seemed  strange  to  walk  about 
and  know  nobody.     The  work  seemed  to  him  immense  and 


122 


THE   CHURCH   IN   UTAH  1 23 

the  responsibilities  tremendous.  "I'll  need  a  lot  of  pray- 
ing for,  if  I'm  to  make  it  go  but  I'm  going  to  try."  After 
his  preliminary  survey  of  the  Church  in  the  city  Spalding 
set  out  to  visit  all  the  stations  of  his  district. 

In  every  town  where  there  was  a  clergyman  he  was  met 
at  train  or  stage,  whatever  the  hour  of  his  arrival.  The 
mornings  were  spent  in  visiting  every  church  member, 
the  afternoons  in  holding  a  conference  with  vestry  or  com- 
mittee and  the  evenings  in  preaching.  In  places  where 
there  was  no  resident  minister  he  would  have  as  many  as 
a  dozen  baptisms,  and  frequently  confirmations.  There 
were  towns  where  the  mission  had  been  closed  and  there  he 
would  inquire  from  door  to  door  who  had  been  members 
and  bring  them  together  for  a  Communion  Service.  In 
communities  where  there  had  never  been  any  organization 
of  church  people  he  would  borrow  the  use  of  some  church 
building,  always  generously  lent,  and  gather  together  the 
Churchmen.  On  such  occasions  the  Methodist  or  other 
minister  generally  read  the  lessons,  and  every  one  present 
was  invited  to  come  to  the  Lord's  Table.  Spalding  re- 
gretted that  he  could  not  bring  himself  to  beating  a  drum  on 
the  street  and  when  a  crowd  had  collected,  preach  to  them. 
There  were  three  distinct  kinds  of  communities  to  be 
reached:  the  Indians  on  the  reservations,  the  rich  farm- 
ing country  and  the  mining  camps. 

In  the  letters  from  Frank  Spalding  to  his  mother,  written 
on  his  valise  as  he  waited  for  trains  or  on  a  hotel  bar  at 
night,  there  is  a  vivid  picture  of  the  task  of  the  western 
missionary  bishop  and  of  the  courageous  way  in  which  he 
went  about  his  work. 

Jan.  24,  1905. 

I'm  at  Echo,  sitting  on  my  grip,  waiting  for  the  train  for  Park 
City  where  I  am  to  preach  to-night,  spending  the  day  calling  on 


124  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

church  people.     Bishop  Tuttle  did  a  lot  of  good  while  he  was 
bishop  pro.  tern. 

I  got  no  further  when  the  train,  half  freight  and  passenger 
came  along.  I  had  as  company  on  the  very  slow  trip  a  drummer 
and  a  Mormon,  both  intelligent  men.  The  Mormon  declared 
that  he  abominated  polygamy  and  the  drummer  said  he  wor- 
shipped no  God  but  the  almighty  dollar,  and  wanted  to  know 
how  long  I'd  been  "peddling  salvation." 

I  called  on  twenty-five  people  and  have  still  some  others  to 
see  this  morning.  They  haven't  had  service  since  Dean  Eddie 
came  up  last  Spring.  The  little  church  was  crowded  last  night. 
I  baptized  one  baby  yesterday  and  am  to  baptize  two  more  after 
the  communion  service  to-day. 

I  wonder  how  long  the  Board  of  Missions  expects  a  man  to 
live  on  nothing.  It  seems  a  very  strange  arrangement  not  even 
to  ask  if  he  needs  any  money  but  to  expect  him  to  pay  his  con- 
secration expenses,  his  fare  out  and  his  living  for  three  months, 
I  think  I'll  write  and  find  out  when  some  money  is  coming  to  me. 

Grand  Junction,  Col.  Jan.  29. 
The  little  church  was  crowded  with  people  at  both  services. 
The  people  love  and  respect  Lyon.  They  need  a  new  church 
badly.  The  Lyons  have  the  dearest  little  girl  and  I  got  on  very 
good  terms  with  her  by  showing  her  how  to  swallow  a  dollar 
and  have  it  come  out  of  my  shoe.  I'm  inclined  to  think  my 
sleight  of  hand  is  one  of  my  most  valuable  gifts.  The  Lyons 
get  only  $800  and  I'm  going  to  try  to  persuade  the  vestry  to 
raise  him  more  money  for  he  ought  to  have  it.  Last  night  we 
had  a  grand  reception  and  the  whole  town  turned  out.  The 
editor  of  the  paper  is  a  Princeton  man. 

Evanston,  Wyoming,  Feb.  6. 

There  is  a  fine  church,  attractive  rectory  and  splendid  parish 

hall  here.     The  women  didn't  like  the  last  man  because  he  let 

his  wife  work  too  hard  and  the  men  had  no  use  for  him  for  he 

spent  most  of  his  time  off  hunting  with  the  boys.     It's  pretty 


THE    CHURCH   IN   UTAH  1 25 

hard  to  please  everybody.  It's  a  small  town  and  a  young  man 
wouldn't  find  enough  to  do,  but  for  a  middle  aged  man  and  his 
family  it  would  be  a  fine  place  in  which  to  settle  down  and  be  a 
father  to  the  whole  community. 

I  travelled  with  the  superintendent  of  Methodist  missions. 
He  has  25  clergy  in  Utah  and  $16,000  for  his  work.  Think  of 
the  Church  giving  me  but  $4000 !  We  certainly  do  go  a  great 
deal  on  our  name  and  on  distinguished  ancestry. 

Logan,  Utah,  Feb.  8. 
I've  called  on  all  the  people.  It's  a  Mormon  stronghold,  there 
are  but  a  dozen  communicants  and  yet  it  is  in  a  most  fertile  valley 
of  20,000  and  the  town  has  seven  thousand.  Here  is  the  Brigham 
Young  Academy  where  they  educate  young  Mormons  to  go  on 
missions. 

Provo,  Utah,  Feb.  12. 

We  have  at  this  place  a  shy,  timid  Irishman  studying  for  or- 
ders, out  here  for  his  health  with  his  sister  a  very  bright  pretty 
girl.  When  I  arrived  at  5.30  p.m.  they  asked  me  to  have  tea 
with  them,  and  I  went  up  supposing  at  that  hour  tea  was  supper 
even  though  it  consisted  of  tea  and  crackers.  And  so  I  sat  and 
talked  on  till  7.30,  when  he  said  with  blushes,  "Really  I  must 
tell  you  if  you  don't  go  to  the  hotel  you  won't  get  any  supper." 
I  was  trying  to  cheer  him  up  and  all  I  succeeded  in  doing  was  to 
keep  him  from  his  supper. 

The  church  is  a  little  box  of  a  place,  an  old  dwelling  fixed  nicely 
inside.  There  were  23  out  in  the  morning,  n  at  Sunday  School 
and  29  at  night,  12  at  Communion.  On  the  way  back  we  met 
the  throngs  coming  out  of  the  Mormon  tabernacle.  We  looked 
into  the  building,  a  big  hall,  sloping  floor,  gallery  and  organ  and 
choir  seats,  room  for  2000.  I  tried  to  encourage  the  vestry 
committee  but  only  two  came  to  church  and  they  were  hopeless. 

Salt  Lake,  Feb.  17. 
I  am  to  preach  at  the  Cathedral  at  both  services  on  Sunday. 
I  am  glad  of  the  chance  to  preach  to  a  larger  congregation  and 


126  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

I  hope  I  can  do  well  for  a  good  deal  depends  on  holding  the 

interest  of  these  Salt  Lake  people. 

I  find  that  every  one  who  knows  the  country  thinks  this  is  a 

good  time  to  go  to  Vernal  and  the  Indians.     I  go  by  rail  to  Price 

and  there  is  a  stretch  of  10  miles  by  stage  to  Ft.  Duchesne  where 

Mr.  Hersey  meets  me. 

Randell,  Feb.  27. 

We  had  grand  services  at  10.  The  Indians  all  came  early  to 
call  on  Mr.  Hersey,  who  is  a  regular  hero  whom  they  call  Ta-ta- 
put  or  "  Good  Talk."  I  confirmed  thirteen,  two  men  and  eleven 
girls.  I  don't  know  whether  they  understood  me  or  not,  but 
Hersey  said  to  talk  as  to  children,  and  I  did. 

I  really  think  some  good  was  done.  Capt.  Hall,  the  agent, 
thinks  the  results  were  unusual  for  my  service  was  just  when  the 
Indians  received  their  annual  payments  and  this  time  not  a  single 
Indian  was  arrested  for  drunkenness  and  usually  when  they 
get  their  money  there  is  a  good  deal  of  drinking. 

Mr.  Hersey  has  a  little  infirmary  next  to  his  house,  but  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  get  sick  Indians  to  come  into  it.  They 
are  so  superstitious  that  they  think  it  is  sure  death  to  go  to 
bed  there.  The  one  thing  he  has  accomplished  is  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  old  custom  of  burying  the  child  with  the  dead  mother. 
A  good  many  mothers  die  and  they  did  not  know  how  to  bring 
up  a  motherless  infant  and  besides  they  said  the  mother's  spirit 
needed  it.  He  has  saved  some  of  them  and  he  has  cows  and 
gives  them  milk  and  now  they  bring  the  babies  to  him. 

White  Rocks,  March  2. 
Hersey  drove  me  here,  twenty-five  miles  in  five  hours  over 
rather  bad  roads.  In  the  last  eight  years  he  has  driven  one  of 
his  horses  over  all  kinds  of  roads  and  in  all  sorts  of  weather 
35, 000  miles.  Miss  Carter  and  Miss  Murray  gave  us  a  cordial 
welcome.  They  have  adopted  two  little  motherless  Indian  boys, 
very  cunning  youngsters.  We  had  service  at  eight  o'clock  with 
a  good  congregation  of  white  people  and  a  few  Indians.  The 
Indians  have  just  been  paid  their  annuity  and  they  were  gam- 


THE   CHURCH   IN  UTAH  1 27 

bling  it  away.  They  never  cheat  and  never  quarrel  when  they 
lose,  but  it  is  a  perfect  passion  with  them. 

Bishop  Leonard  once  gave  magic  lantern  pictures  of  the  cru- 
cifixion for  the  Indians  here.  They  were  much  moved,  but  said 
"White  man  he  kill  God,  we  no  want  his  church."  And  they 
would  not  have  it  for  years.  At  two  the  crowds  began  to  as- 
semble, first  the  children  from  the  government  school,  then  the 
Indians,  old  braves  and  young,  squaws  and  papooses,  and  dogs. 
It  was  the  biggest  gathering  they  had  ever  had.  The  White- 
Rocks  Utes  are  said  to  be  the  most  uncivilized  Indians  in  the 
United  States.  There  were  men  and  women  in  the  building  who 
had  taken  part  in  the  Meeker  massacre. 

Johnnie  Reid,  a  half  breed,  was  interpreter  and  Charlie  Mack, 
an  old  Ute  chief  who  knows  English,  helped.  We  repeated  the 
Creed,  and  Lord's  Prayer  and  some  other  prayers.  Then  Mr. 
Hersey  spoke  to  them,  Johnnie  repeating  it  in  the  harsh  Ute 
tongue.  He  told  them  what  the  building  was  for  and  that  it 
was  for  them  as  well  as  for  the  whites.  He  told  them  that,  as 
the  white  man  has  brought  peace  and  food,  so  he  wanted  to  tell 
them  about  God.  He  told  them  that  if  they  had  a  nice  clean 
blanket  they  would  not  like  to  have  it  all  muddied  and  so  God 
did  not  like  them  to  stain  the  hearts  he  had  made  white.  Then 
came  my  turn.  Johnnie  got  along  all  right  until  I  said,  "when 
you  hear  the  nlsh  of  the  wind  and  the  noise  of  the  thunder  you 
think  of  God  as  there."  It  seemed  to  me  that  was  quite  Indian, 
but  it  was  too  much  for  Johnnie  and  so  he  asked  Charlie  Mack  to 
do  it  and  Charlie  rose  and  interpreted.  They  are  a  stolid  lot 
and  one  can't  tell  whether  they  understand  or  not.  After  I 
got  through,  Charlie  Mack  rose  again  and  made  a  long  speech, 
which  Johnnie  said  was  mine  over  again  as  much  as  he  could 
remember,  for  he  said  it  was  a  good  speech  and  the  Indians  should 
be  made  to  understand  it.     It  was  a  most  remarkable  experience. 

March  5. 
The  Indians  began  to  assemble  at  Mr.  Hersey's  about  nine. 
They  quite  filled  the  house,  sitting  on  chairs,  until  they  were 


128  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

occupied  and  then  on  the  floor.  There  isn't  much  conversation. 
Hersey  says  he  and  the  Indians  have  a  good  heart  to  heart  talk 
often  by  sitting  silently  for  half  an  hour  saying  not  more  than 
twenty  words.  They  haven't  much  idea  of  time,  having  no 
watches,  and  so  it  was  past  ten  when  we  went  to  church.  After 
service,  for  my  special  benefit  the  young  men  gave  an  exhibition 
of  horsemanship.  When  they  ride  ordinarily  they  have  Amer- 
ican saddles  or  saddles  they  made  themselves,  but  when  they 
race  or  show  off  they  ride  bareback  and  horse  and  man  seem  one. 
It  was  a  little  like  horse  racing  on  Sunday  but  as  H.  said  they 
were  very  innocent  in  their  intention  to  please  the  new  "Big 
Good  Words." 

Old  Shovenagh  came  to  see  us  after  the  service.  He  wants 
to  go  to  Washington  on  the  delegation  to  see  about  the  opening 
of  the  Reservation  to  white  settlers  and  he  has  been  overlooked. 
He  thought  since  I  was  such  a  great  man  I  might  have  influence. 
Hersey  feels  that  he  ought  to  go,  for  he  is  a  fine  peace  loving  old 
man,  and  so  we  wrote  the  Captain  a  letter.  On  Monday  Shov- 
enagh came  beaming  like  a  school  boy.  He  had  received  his 
orders  to  get  ready  to  go  to  Washington.  He  took  Mr.  H. 
aside  and  said  that  when  he  reached  Washington,  he  would 
tell  the  President  that  the  "Church  very  good."  And  then  he 
borrowed  $13.00  of  Mr.  H.  to  buy  a  new  hat  and  trousers.  Isn't 
that  civilized  for  you? 

To  His  Mother 

Salt  Lake,  April  4. 

I'd  like  to  see  that  letter  of  Sarah's  for  she  must  have  drawn 
very  largely  on  her  imagination.  I  did  lose  my  overcoat  with  a 
good  pair  of  gloves  in  the  pocket.  They  told  me  that  they  found 
it  about  two  miles  down  stream  buried  in  the  sand,  that  they 
hitched  a  horse  to  it  and  pulled  it  out  and  I  naturally  said  I 
really  did  not  care  for  it  and  I  hope  some  Indian  may  dry  it  out 
and  keep  warm  in  it.  The  real  facts  are  as  follows  :  There  were 
three  passengers  on  the  stage,  myself  and  two  nice  men  from 
Kansas.     I  joined  them  at  Mr.  Hersey's,  they  getting  on  at  the 


THE   CHURCH   IN   UTAH  120. 

Fort  (Duchesne).  We  rode  comfortably  the  first  14  miles  to 
Ouray  where  Mr.  &  Mrs.  C.  keep  a  store  and  are  sub  Indian 
agents.  The  river  was  still  high  but  clear  of  ice  and  we  had  no 
trouble  at  all  crossing  in  a  row  boat,  indeed  I  rowed  the  boat  my- 
self. The  water  had  run  off  the  desert  a  good  deal  and  so  the 
road  itself  wasn't  as  wet  as  it  had  been  when  we  drove  the  other 
way  but  in  the  streams  and  "washes"  the  water  was  high.  It 
got  higher  toward  afternoon  when  the  snow  melted  fastest. 
There  is  one  wash,  usually  a  dry  bar  of  sand  which  the  road 
crosses  three  times.  It  drains  a  lot  of  country,  however,  and 
after  a  rain  there  is  sometimes  quite  a  stream.  Well  it  was 
full  of  water  but  we  crossed  it  twice  easily,  the  water  barely 
coming  into  the  wagon.  The  last  crossing  is  at  the  dinner 
station  called  Chipeta  after  the  squaw  of  old  chief  Ouray.  Here 
the  water  was  running  strong  but  the  stream  was  wider  and 
divided  by  an  island  into  two  parts.  We  felt  it  was  risky  to 
cross  with  two  horses  and  the  buckboard  we  had  been  using,  so 
we  borrowed  from  an  Indian  a  big  Bain  wagon  and  we  fastened 
on  four  horses.  The  driver  held  the  reins  and  took  another 
fellow  to  whip,  the  mail  was  thrown  on  behind  and  we  stood  on 
it  and  I  held  my  grip  for  fear  the  water  might  come  into  the 
wagon.  We  went  famously  half  way  to  the  little  island,  the 
water  barely  coming  into  the  wagon.  Then  we  started  over  the 
other  stream.  It  was  deeper  and  swifter  and  the  current  had  so 
washed  the  other  bank  that  it  was  very  steep  and  the  horse 
balked.  The  water  was  about  six  inches  deeper  than  the  top  of 
the  wagon  box  which  caught  the  full  force  of  the  current  and 
turned  over  throwing  us  all  out  into  the  water.  I  hung  on  to 
my  grip  all  right  and  lit  on  my  feet,  one  of  the  men  scrambled 
out  on  the  farther  bank  and  one  of  them  got  mixed  up  with  the 
wagon  and  he  did  have  a  hard  time  for  he  lost  his  head  and 
was  carried  downstream  perhaps  1 50  yards  when  the  Indians  rode 
in  and  got  him  out,  wet  but  not  hurt.  I  waded  to  the  Island. 
It  was  no  more  dangerous  than  trout  fishing.  I  first  thought  I'd 
just  go  back  across  the  smaller  stream  to  the  house  and  dry  up 
and  so  I  shouted  to  the  other  passenger,  whose  name  was  H. 


130  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

to  go  downstream  to  where  the  drivers  were  for  they  had  scrambled 
on  that  side  and  let  the  Indians  help  him  across.  But  he  said 
nothing  would  make  him  cross  again  but  that  he  was  going  to 
walk  to  the  next  station,  Bonanza.  As  that  was  on  ten  miles 
at  least  without  a  horse  between  it  did  not  seem  right  to  let  him 
go  alone  and  so  I  got  an  Indian  to  fasten  two  lariettes  together 
and  throw  me  the  rope.  He  did  it  splendidly  and  I  wrapped 
it  around  my  waist  and  waded  across.  It  was  pretty  swift  near 
the  bank  but  with  the  help  of  the  rope  I  made  it  easily.  Of 
course  I  left  my  bag  and  overshoes  on  the  island  to  be  brought 
on  by  the  stage.  Then  H.  and  I  struck  a  lively  pace  for  Bo- 
nanza. The  road  was,  however,  wet  and  muddy  most  of  the  time 
and  we  had  to  wade  four  streams  over  knee  deep,  but  the  brisk 
walk  kept  us  fairly  warm.  In  the  meantime  they  had  telephoned 
to  Bonanza  for  a  wagon  to  meet  us  and  after  we  had  travelled 
about  five  miles  we  did  meet  a  team.  At  first  I  thought  we  had 
better  keep  walking  as  it  was  getting  cold  and  dark  (the  trip  over 
was  in  broad  day  light)  but  the  road  got  so  wet  and  muddy 
and  snowy  that  we  climbed  in  and  rode  the  rest  of  the  way. 
There  was  a  stone  house  at  Bonanza  and  a  stove.  Here  we  did 
nearly  have  an  accident  for  in  his  zeal  to  make  the  fire  burn  the 
man  threw  in  some  gasoline  and  it  nearly  blew  up  the  stove.  Well 
I  took  off  my  clothing  and  by  11.30  had  my  underwear  dry.  So 
I  slept  in  that,  on  a  bunk  with  plenty  of  bedding  the  rest  of  the 
night.  Next  morning  we  got  a  good  breakfast,  for  in  another 
part  of  the  house  the  man's  wife  lived,  and  we  found  the  rest 
of  our  things  were  dry  so  we  rode  on  to  White  River,  got  a  team 
there  and  made  Dragon  and  the  R.  R.  by  4  p.m.  I  arranged 
for  service  and  had  a  fine  crowd  out  at  8  p.m.  and  the  next  morn- 
ing came  on  to  Salt  Lake  feeling  absolutely  none  the  worse  in 
any  way.  Now  please  remember  that  this  road  is  unpleasant 
only  in  time  of  high  water.  The  unusual  amount  of  snow  this 
year  made  the  trouble.     Usually  it  is  a  beautiful  ride. 

One  hundred  miles  by  stage  to  the  railroad  brought  the 
new  bishop  out  of  the  Uintah  country.     He  next  visited  the 


THE   CHURCH   IN   UTAH  131 

stations  in  Western  Colorado  which  took  him  over  ground 
his  father  had  sown  with  seed,  and  then  hurried  to  Salt 
Lake.  After  a  few  days,  spent  in  writing  letters,  he  was  off 
again,  this  time  going  West  to  Nevada.  One  of  the  letters 
was  from  his  successor  at  St.  Paul's  asking  advice.  "A. 
wrote  me  a  nice  though  rather  pious  letter  asking  my  ad- 
vice. I've  just  written  telling  him  I'd  help  him  in  any  way 
in  my  power  but  saying  that  I  thought  he  better  go  it  blind, 
that  he  ought  not  to  try  to  do  just  as  I  had  done  as  the 
parish  needed  a  leader  not  an  imitator,  but  that  I  hoped 
he'd  not  decide  hastily  that  it  was  over  organized,  for  all 
the  societies  seemed  fitted  to  the  needs,  that  the  choir  was 
really  a  big  boy's  club,  etc." 

To  His  Mother 

This  is  the  most  lively  mining  camp  in  the  world,  like  Lead- 
ville  in  1879  and  Cripple  Creek  in  1890.  I  got  in  after  a  long 
trip  this  a.m.  at  one,  and  luckily  got  a  bed,  in  the  Annex,  a  neat 
place  with  six  beds,  curtained  off  in  a  tent  with  board  sides.  I 
am  writing  this  at  the  bar  of  the  Palace  Hotel,  there  being  no 
other  writing  room.  There  isn't  a  tree  in  sight  and  yet  the  bare 
hills  are  beautiful.  Two  of  the  Poes,  of  Princeton  foot-ball 
fame,  are  here.  Johnnie  Poe  will  help  me  Sunday  in  the  choir 
and  pass  the  plate. 

I  waited  in  line  at  the  post-office  and  got  my  mail.  The  P.  O. 
is  in  a  bad  way.  Nobody  wants  to  be  postmaster.  It  only 
pays  $30.00  a  month  rent  and  the  building  is  in  demand  at 
$175.  The  government  only  pays  $70,  and  nobody  will  work 
for  less  than  $4.00  a  day.  So  the  postmaster  has  resigned  and 
wants  to  be  relieved  for  he  is  steadily  growing  poorer. 

April  2. 

I  went  to  the  hall  early  to  get  the  seats  arranged.  About  fifty 
orders  met  there.     It  is  strange  how  much  sooner  these  societies 


132  FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 

get  a  hold  than  the  Church.  The  people  began  to  come  early 
and  at  the  service  there  were  many  more  women  than  men. 
Most  all  knew  the  places  and  responded.  There  were  twenty- 
two  at  communion.  In  the  evening  we  had  a  big  crowd  and 
lots  of  men.     Johnnie  passed  the  hat  and  the  offering  was  $27.06. 

The  wife  of  the  auditor  of  the  railroad  is  building  a  club  house ; 
she  proposes  to  raise  $10,000  and  build  a  fine  reading  room  and 
gymnasium,  and  the  project  seems  a  go. 

One  meets  all  the  while  graduates  of  Whitaker's  Hall.  It  is 
a  great  proof  that  the  Church  school  does  far  reaching  good. 

Spalding  visited  Goldfield  in  an  auto  where  he  looked  up 
all  the  people  whose  names  had  been  given  him  and  found 
many  more.  People  told  him  the  town  would  last  but  he 
had  suspicions.  The  old  deserted  camps  were  most  forlorn 
and  he  was  puzzled  to  know  what  to  do  for  them.  Places 
where  millions  of  dollars  had  been  taken  out  of  the  ground 
he  found  almost  deserted,  with  their  greater  smelters 
rusting  and  rotting.  After  a  church  has  been  built,  if  the 
vein  of  gold  ends  the  people  pack  up  and  move  to  the  next 
strike.  Tonopah,  Goldfield,  and  Bull  Frog  were  new  places, 
with  10,000  people,  and  many  idle  men,  crowded  streets, 
saloons  and  gambling,  few  good  buildings  and  many  tents. 

Las  Vegas,  Nev. 

You  ought  to  see  this  hotel.  A  long  tent  with  a  double  row 
of  beds  down  the  middle  aisle  and  canvas  alcoves  next  to  the 
wall.     Mine  is  in  the  corner. 

There  is  water  here  and  there  will  probably  always  be  a  town. 
If  we  can  get  land  for  a  church  we  ought  to,  I  suppose.  If 
Nevada  only  had  water !  Right  in  the  midst  of  the  Sage  brush 
desert  you  come  upon  the  most  beautiful  meadows  and  ranches. 
It  is  a  climate  which  will  produce  most  everything,  water  only 
needed. 

I  wonder  whether  it  is  moral  cowardice  or  a  decent  modesty 


THE    CHURCH   IN   UTAH  133 

which  prevents  me  from  standing  on  the  corner,  gathering  a 
crowd  for  a  while  by  beating  a  drum  or  yelling,  and  then  preach- 
ing like  the  Salvation  Army  people.  I  have  spent  the  time  call- 
ing. I  found  a  Presbyterian  who  runs  the  Mercantile  Com- 
pany. He  said  they  had  had  two  Presbyterian  ministers,  both 
poor,  and  he  had  written  the  superintendent  to  do  better  next 
time.  The  first  man  had  a  pain  and  thought  it  was  the  bubonic 
plague  and  ran  away.  The  next  man  preached  against  the 
Masons  and  was  starved  out. 

It's  wonderful  how  simply  and  gladly  they  talk  about  religion. 
Only  one  man  said  gruffly,  "Religion  is  a  thing  that  never  gave 
me  any  trouble."  When  I  told  him  it  never  gave  me  any  either 
and  that  I  did  not  think  it  was  for  that  purpose,  he  cheered  up 
and  "reckoned  he  was  a  sort  of  a  Unitarian."  At  last  after  look- 
ing every  where  I  found  the  poor  old  dilapidated  Methodist 
minister.  He  ought  to  be  resting  in  riches  and  honor  instead 
of  being  in  that  doleful  place.  He  said  it  had  been  a  real  treat 
to  talk  to  another  minister.  If  I  can't  get  Church  clergymen  out 
here  I'm  going  to  be  some  good  to  the  others.  Isn't  that  the 
real  meaning  of  Catholic? 

I  asked  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel  whether  he  didn't  think  it 
would  be  wiser  to  take  the  price  tags  off  the  sheets  and  pillow 
cases,  then  one  would  think  they  had  been  washed  within  a 
month.  "You  are  most  unreasonable,"  he  replied,  "when  we 
put  those  sheets  on  the  beds  a  month  ago  they  took  the  place 
of  blankets  that  hadn't  been  washed  for  eight  months.  You 
don't  know  civilization  when  you  see  it."  But  he  wouldn't 
charge  a  cent  for  my  board  and  lodging. 

Caliente,  Nevada. 

I  came  here  in  the  afternoon  and  Mr.  Bentley,  the  Methodist 
parson,  showed  me  all  over  the  town.  There  is  a  hot  spring  and 
the  part  God  made  is  fine  though  man's  improvements  are  vile. 
It  is  about  the  most  miserable  place  I  was  ever  fated  to  spend 
time  in.  Perhaps  it  is  a  comfort  to  know  that  I  had  seen  the 
limit.     The  editor  of  the. Caliente  Express,  wrote  an  article  awhile 


134  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

ago  entitled  "What  Caliente  Needs."  There  were  a  church, 
city  water  works,  a  fire  department  and  a  system  of  sprinkling  the 
streets  to  cool  things  off,  and  a  bath  house.  A  friend  of  his  in 
Montana,  also  an  editor,  commented  on  this  editorial  as  follows. 
"We  beg  to  call  to  the  attention  of  the  editor  of  the  Express  that 
the  needs  of  Caliente  are  identical  with  the  needs  of  hell." 

I  spent  the  night  in  the  Culverwell  House.  As  the  landlady 
said,  it  wasn't  just  arranged  for  a  hotel  because  the  only  way 
to  get  in  and  out  of  our  room  without  going  through  Mr.  and 

Mrs.  's  room  was  through  the  window.     All  night  Mr.  and 

Mrs.  conversed  and  it  was  hard  to  realize  that  any  par- 
tition was  between.  Such  a  Caudle  lecture  she  did  give  him  ! 
Finally  he  arose  and  swore  by  heaven  that  he  was  innocent  and 
if  she  didn't  shut  up  he  would  blow  his  brains  out,  etc.  All  of 
which  was  not  conducive  to  sleep. 

I  was  glad  to  start  for  Delamar,  thirty-two  miles  away.     And 

indeed  the  ride  was  so  beautiful  that  I  quite  forgot  the . 

First  we  went  through  a  most  interesting  canyon.  Curious 
conglomerate  rocky  walls  hundreds  of  feet  high  with  the  strata 
tipped  up  all  sorts  of  ways.  Then  out  on  the  high  ground  with 
wonderful  views  of  distant  blue  mountains  and  into  stretches  of 
white  sandy  desert.  We  went  over  to  the  Hot  Spring  for  new 
horses  and  water.  The  stable  made  me  instantly  think  of 
Bethlehem  for  its  a  cave  running  into  the  hillside,  propped  up 
with  rough  timbers,  looking  for  all  the  world  like  the  picture  in 
the  Chapel  in  Erie.  It  runs  back  about  one  hundred  feet  and 
at  the  end  is  a  most  delicious  spring  of  the  purest,  coldest  water. 
The  man  who  dug  it  all  hoped  to  find  water  enough  to  irrigate  a 
ranch  but  there  wasn't  enough,  barely  enough  to  water  stock 
and  he  committed  suicide,  going  mad  with  the  loneliness  of  the 
place.  With  the  new  horses  we  climbed  the  next  divide  and 
saw  even  more  wonderful  things.  I  counted  forty-three  different 
kinds  of  flowers  growing  in  that  desert  and  some  I'd  never  seen 
before,  are  especially  beautiful  like  a  lady-slipper  with  the  most 
delicate  perfume.  As  you  go  over  the  last  hill  but  one,  you  come 
out  into  a  forest  almost  of  yucca  palms,  they  call  them. 


THE    CHURCH   IN   UTAH  135 

The  Bishop's  next  trip,  the  fourth  task  he  had  set  him- 
self, was  to  Northwestern  Colorado. 

Refle,  Colo.  June  23. 

What  a  shame  it  is  that  our  Church  got  so  behind  in  all  these 
places.  There  is  a  nourishing  Methodist  and  two  Campbellite 
Churches  and  really  no  room  for  ours.  It  does  not  seem  right 
to  put  a  church  in  where  there  is  too  hard  work  supporting  those 
already  struggling.  There  is  no  chance  to  have  a  service  in 
Rifle  this  time,  but  next  time  I  hope  I  can,  for  it  is  a  good  thing  for 
the  Church  to  be  seen  and  heard  once  in  awhile. 

There  is  an  amusing  old  man  here  who  is  trying  to  get  money 
to  establish  a  grand  Consumptive  Home  at  Salida,  Colo.  He  is 
trying  to  raise  $50,000  by  selling  at  fifty  cents  apiece  an  engraved 
souvenir  of  himself  on  Abraham  Lincoln  —  Lincoln,  the  De- 
stroyer of  the  Black  Scourge  and  B.  the  Destroyer  of  the  White 
Scourge  of  consumption.  He  told  me  that  he  was  in  the  theatre 
in  Washington  when  Lincoln  was  killed,  helped  carry  him  out, 
saw  a  drop  of  blood  fall  on  a  program,  picked  it  up  and  saved  it. 
The  souvenir  has  a  picture  of  this  blood  drop  too.  He  told  me 
that  book  learning  is  no  good  in  preaching,  only  the  simple  word 
from  the  heart.  "But  if  yer  preach,  do  it  so  that  you'll  blister 
'em.     Nothing  else  will  help  them." 

Meeker,  June  26. 

The  stage  started  at  eight,  with  a  nice  young  driver,  a  hard- 
ware drummer  and  a  young  woman,  perhaps  a  school  teacher. 
The  driver  talked  to  the  four  horses  in  the  usual  affectionately 
blasphemous  way.  We  reached  Meeker  at  5.20  and  Mr.  George 
and  Victor  Moulton  met  me. 

The  church  is  beautiful  and  the  music  really  wonderful.  A 
Mr.  Ritz,  an  Englishman,  is  choirmaster  and  the  voices  were 
fine.  They  sang  "O  Taste  and  See"  in  the  morning  and  "O 
Rest  in  the  Lord"  and  "As  pants  the  heart"  at  night,  and  did 
it  all  very  well.  We  had  lots  of  work,  early  celebration,  Sunday 
School  and  talk  to  children.  Morning  Prayer  and  sermon, 
service  at  four  with  sermon,  and  confirmation  at  night.     Twelve 


136  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

boys  and  two  girls,  five  pairs  of  brothers  and  two  of  sisters.  Mr. 
George  is  very  proud  of  having  more  boys  than  girls  in  his  school. 
I  think  we  also  called  on  nearly  every  person  in  town.  I  got 
away  pretty  tired.  We  had  splendid  meetings,  however,  and 
all  are  encouraged. 

XX  Ranch,  Arial,  Colo. 

Mr.  lies  with  whom  I  am  stopping,  is  a  thinker  and  saves  up 
hard  questions  for  the  Bishop.  We  have  been  discussing  the 
resurrection  of  the  body  and  the  Virgin  birth  and  the  credibility 
of  the  Gospels,  etc.,  etc. 

There  was  a  murder  down  the  road  night  before  last.  A  man 
named  Wright  was  killed.  The  stage  driver  said  it  served  him 
right  for  he  was  "awful  disagreeable."  I  have  learned  that  the 
county  officials  have  visited  the  spot  and  decided  that  the  man 
was  shot,  that  they  don't  know  who  shot  him  and  that  they  don't 
think  it  is  worth  while  finding  out.  But  Mr.  lies  agrees  with 
me  that  for  the  honor  of  the  county  more  investigation  should 
be  made. 

This  is  a  regular  ranch,  a  cattle  ranch,  with  many  cowboys 
about.  The  house  is  a  dirt-covered  log  cabin.  Every  body 
helps  cook  and  wash  dishes,  and  they  are  very  hospitable.  The 
people  like  to  have  their  guests  talk  a  good  deal  to  them  and 
so  writing  is  not  easy.     I  must  stop  and  be  pleasant. 

Hayden,  Colo. 

You  are  to  admire  this  hand  bill  for  I  did  it  myself.  The  printer 
wasn't  in  town  and  Mr.  Wood  let  me  use  the  type  and  I  did  as 
well  as  the  rather  limited  assortment  would  permit.  It's  won- 
derful how  all  one  has  learned,  even  in  fun,  comes  in  handy  some 
time. 

The  Yampa  or  Bear  River,  for  Yampa  is  Indian  for  bear,  is 
a  big  slowly  flowing  stream,  and  all  along  the  valley  are  ranches, 
some  of  them  very  fine  —  "Richmen's  Hobbies."  Thompson, 
the  stage  driver,  said  even  the  mosquitoes  had  a  pedigree.  He 
also  told  me  about  the  people  I'm  to  meet.     If  they  were  ap- 


THE    CHURCH   IN  UTAH  I37 

proved  by  him  he  calls  them  "real  common."  Mr.  P.,  he  said, 
was  "real  common,  just  as  common  as  an  old  pair  of  shoes." 

We  had  a  church  quite  well  filled  and  a  brother  of  the  man  I 
was  good  to  in  the  hospital  helped  get  the  crowd.  You  see  how 
far  reaching  good  is.  Mr.  Heyse,  the  Congregational  minister, 
gave  me  the  church  very  willingly.  The  Congregationalists 
boast  that  they  are  no  sect  or  denomination  but  just  a  collection 
of  Christian  people  of  all  churches.  I  wish  we  could  only  make 
them  see  that  such  an  idea  is  impossible  except  in  theory,  for  all 
the  thinking  and  teaching  is  thrown  on  one  man,  while  the  use 
of  the  Prayer  Book  with  its  catholic  teaching  and  its  accumulated 
experience  of  the  religious  life  of  the  past  is  a  protection  from 
sectarianism,  not  a  mock  of  it ;  the  difficulty  is  that  so  many  of 
our  own  men  fail  to  see  this  and  in  spite  of  the  Prayer  Book  are 
sectarian.  I  consider  that  an  extreme  ritualist,  for  example,  is 
just  as  sectarian  in  his  whole  spirit  as  a  Seventh  Day  Adventist. 

I  leave  for  Steamboat  at  noon  —  thirty  miles  more  —  which 
will  make  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  miles  from  the  railroad. 

Steamboat  Springs, 
July  5,  1905. 

The  only  part  of  the  road  that  wasn't  dusty  was  when  we  forded 
the  Elk  River  and  that  was  quite  exciting  for  the  water  was 
high  and  swift  and  the  river  quite  wide.  The  editor  of  the 
Routt  Co.  Republican  was  a  passenger  and  was  very  interest- 
ing, knowing  all  the  news  of  the  world  and  all  the  wonderful  re- 
sources of  the  country.  Upon  the  coming  of  the  railroad  every- 
thing depends  and  that  is  the  sole  topic  of  conversation.  Where 
will  it  run,  how  soon  will  it  be  built,  etc.,  etc. 

It  is  nice  to  be  in  a  house  where  napkins  are  clean  and  one  has 
silver  things.     I  had  a  fine  sleep  in  a  clean  hotel  bed. 

The  Methodist  minister  is  very  kind  and  I  held  services  all 
to-day.  I  preached  horribly,  but  what  is  one  to  do  when  on  the 
front  row  are  three  deaf  men  with  hands  to  their  ears.  Nor 
can  I  get  quite  used  to  noisy  babies.  The  result  was  I  tired  my- 
self all  out  shouting. 


138  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

I  spent  Saturday  calling  on  the  few  Church  people.  It  seems 
so  wicked  that  our  Church  should  have  held  the  first  services  in 
this  town  and  in  most  of  the  towns  along  this  river,  and  now 
be  left  behind  by  even  the  Seventh  Day  Adventists.  There 
are  about  ten  communicants  and  they  represent  little  financial 
strength.  As  one  woman  expressed  it,  "The  town  is  badly  over- 
churched  now." 

Both  the  Methodist  and  Congregationalist  preachers  are 
cordial  and  broad-minded,  so  I  can  have  a  church  whenever  I 
come  here.  I'll  have  quite  a  tale  to  tell  you  when  I  go  East. 
There  is  a  man  here  who  used  to  be  a  hard-drinking,  fighting, 
gambling  cow-boy,  who  was  converted  some  years  ago  and  seems 
to  control  the  religious  life  of  the  district.  He  has  started  sev- 
eral chapels  and  his  followers  have  gone  to  all  sorts  of  extremes 
—  Holy  Rollers,  Perfectionists,  etc.  I  wonder  if  that  sort  of 
thing  isn't  characteristic  of  every  new  country.  But  think  how 
much  religious  loss  might  have  been  saved  if  the  Church  would 
only  do  her  duty. 

We  went  to  the  Grove  by  the  river  to  hear  the  Fourth  of  July 
exercises.  Brother  Campbell  of  the  Christians  was  to  pray  and 
Bro.  Travis  of  the  Methodists  to  give  the  oration,  but  Brother 
C.  didn't  appear  and  Brother  T.  asked  me  if  I  would  pray  or  if 
he  should  pray  and  I  should  speak.  I  told  him  I'd  rather  speak 
if  I  had  my  choice  though  in  a  pinch  I  could  pray,  —  but  I  hoped 
I'd  get  out  of  it.  However,  he  prayed  and  prayed  very  well 
too,  I  suspect  getting  in  a  good  deal  of  his  speech  under  the  form 
of  praise  and  thanksgiving.  The  presiding  officer  then  said, 
"  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  you  remember  the  story  of  the  old 
maid  who  prayed  for  a  husband,  and  an  owl  in  a  tree  cried  — 
'who  —  who,'  and  she  thinking  it  was  an  answer  to  her  prayer 
said,  'Oh  good  Lord  anybody.'  Since  poor  Brother  Campbell 
who  was  to  have  spoken  is  also  away,  it  is  a  question  of  anybody. 
And  I  take  pleasure  in  introducing  Bishop  Spalding  who  will 
address  you."  As  there  was  no  help  for  it,  I  mounted  the  plat- 
form, thanking  my  stars  that  grandmother  had  been  patriotic 
and  given  me  a  five  dollar  gold  piece  for  learning  the  Declaration 


THE    CHURCH   IN   UTAH  1 39 

of  Independence,  which  I  could  recite  until  I  got  my  wits  col- 
lected, and  then  I  waved  the  stars  and  stripes  quite  gaily  be- 
fore it  was  over. 

Yampa,  July  5. 

I  was  the  only  passenger  for  quite  a  way.  The  stage  driver, 
called  Lou,  was  not  much  of  a  conversationalist  except  to  his 
horses,  to  one  of  which  he  gave  much  attention,  saying  that 
he  had  a  "thick  skin  and  a  short  memory."  I  was  humming  to 
myself  and  he  said,  "sing  a  song  to  pass  the  time  away."  I 
protested  that  I  didn't  know  any  but  he  said,  "give  me  one  of 
them  religious  songs.  Course  you  can't  do  it  as  good  as  if  it 
was  in  a  house  but  I  like  to  hear  it  just  the  same."  So  I  caroled 
lustily  while  we  pulled  up  a  long  hill  when  he  said,  the  going 
would  have  to  be  slow  and  quiet. 

Going  over  what  is  called  Yellow  Jacket  Pass  the  flowers  were 
simply  wonderful.  The  columbine  seemed  three  feet  tall  and 
wonderfully  large  and  beautiful ;  and  so  many  wild  roses  that  the 
air  was  sweet  with  them. 

We  had  service  at  10.30  and  there  were  eight  communicants 
and  I  confirmed  a  girl  whom,  strange  to  say,  I  had  baptized  in 
Central  City. 

Montrose,  July  9. 
We  drove  to  Olathe  a  new  town  of  perhaps  fifty  or  one  hundred 
inhabitants  and  two  churches,  a  Baptist  and  a  "Christian 
Unions,"  of  which  I  had  never  heard  before.  The  pastor  of  the 
Christian  Unions  runs  a  big  ranch  too  and  was  riding  the  ditch ; 
but  we  had  a  nice  call  on  his  wife.  She  said  we  could  use  their 
church  whenever  we  wanted  to.  She  asked  if  our  Church  was 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  and  when  we  said  no  but  the  old  and 
original  Episcopal,  she  was  much  puzzled ;  she  said  that  she  had 
never  heard  of  that  Church  before !  When  we  reached  the 
Baptists  he  was  conducting  a  Bible  Class  to  study  the  Sunday 
School  lesson.  There  were  four  present  and  they  invited  us  to 
join,  which  we  did,  and  they  asked  us  to  give  our  opinion  of  the 
passage  under  consideration  in  which  the  Lord  gives  to  Hezekiah 


140  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

the  sign  of  the  shadow  going  back  ten  degrees  on  the  dial  of 
Ahaz.  Not  an  easy  subject  though  the  old  man  had  a  very  in- 
teresting explanation  based  on  sun  dials,  etc.  which  he  had  seen. 

Had  I  known  that  my  mother  was  going  to  send  me  with  her 
approval  a  clipping  by  T.  K.  Cheyne,  who  is  the  most  radical  of 
the  Higher  Critics,  I  would  have  told  them  that  the  whole  story 
was  probably  an  idle  fairy  tale,  written  many  centuries  later. 

The  church  here  is  beautiful  and  the  people  like  Lyon.  He 
has  certainly  worked  hard.  He  laid  the  floor  and  did  a  lot  of 
the  carpenter  work  with  his  own  hands.  It  is  necessary  if  a 
man  is  to  be  contented  out  in  these  little  places  that  he  be  pleased 
with  small  things,  and  yet  he  must  be  a  big  enough  man  not  to 
be  satisfied  with  them,  and  it  is  a  trouble  to  find  that  combination. 

Is  there  a  place  in  Denver  where  a  little  brass  tablet  can  be 
made?  I'd  like  to  have  this  for  father's  pulpit  in  Erie,  just  his 
simple  name.     I  do  not  care  for  Rt.  Rev.  and  D.D. 

"In  loving  memory  of  John  Franklin  Spalding,  a  preacher  of 
Christ  and  His  Righteousness.  He  founded  this  church  and 
lived  for  its  members." 

To  His  Mother 

D.  &  R.  G.  R.  R.,  July  14,  1905. 

The  people  of  Mancos  are  easily  the  most  amusing  folk  I've 
so  far  met.  You  know  the  town  isn't  far  from  the  cliff  dwellers 
and  I  guess  the  present  inhabitants  have  rubbed  off  some  of  the 
queerness  from  their  progenitors.  Everybody  in  the  town  is 
jealous  of  every  body  else.  There  isn't  any  church,  they  do 
not  own  a  foot  of  land  and  will  need  every  cent  they  can  scrape 
together  to  buy  land.  But  Mrs.  A.  has  made  up  her  mind  that 
a  memorial  window  comes  first  and  she  is  raising  money  for  it ! 

Mrs.  B.  said,  "We  all  know  Mrs.  A.  and  of  course  we  make 
allowance."  Mrs.  A.  has  already  told  me  that  Mrs.  B.'s  father 
had  died  in  an  insane  asylum  so  that  nobody  took  her  seriously. 
Nobody  remarks  nowadays,  "See  how  these  Christians  love  one 
another,"  but  instead,  "Watch  these  church  members  scrap." 

I  hurried  to  the  hall  after  dinner  and  put  on  my  robes  in  the 


THE   CHURCH   IN   UTAH  141 

open  before  the  place  was  full.  A  boy  came  saying  that  Mr. 
D.,  who  was  to  have  ushered,  was  hunting  his  cow  which  had 
strayed  away.  So  behold  me  in  Episcopal  vestments,  ushering 
the  people,  passing  books,  hustling  chairs  from  one  end  of  the 
room  to  the  other,  and  failing  to  raise  windows.  I  must  have 
preached  a  remarkable  sermon,  for  a  Methodist  said  it  was  a 
regular  Methodist  sermon  and  a  Roman  Catholic  declared  it 
was  a  regular  Roman  Catholic  sermon.  Mr.  E.  said  he  would 
give  a  dollar  every  time  "we  put  a  sermon  on  in  Mancos." 

I  have  an  idea  for  an  article  on  the  Sunday  question.  I'm 
afraid  my  mother  might  not  think  it  orthodox  though.  This 
is  my  proposition.  It  is  no  longer  possible  to  combine  a  day  of 
rest  and  a  day  of  worship.  In  the  rush  of  modern  life  the  rest 
day  mostly  consists  of  pleasure  and  recreation,  which  are  in- 
compatible with  religion.  On  the  other  hand  we  are  to-day  hon- 
est and  search  for  motives.  We  discover  that  what  we  have 
called  religion  was  rather  pleasure  or  business  as  the  case  may  be. 
Most  men  are  nearer  to  God  in  their  work  than  in  their  play. 
A  working  day  is  more  of  a  religious  day  than  play  days.  The 
special  services  of  the  revivalist,  Brotherhood  noon-day  meet- 
ings, Phillips  Brooks  in  old  Trinity,  all  prove  it.  The  con- 
clusion is  that  the  Church  must  provide  new  ways  of  feeding 
souls,  ways  closer  allied  to  work  than  to  play.  And  when  we 
come  to  the  Bible  we  find  that  Jesus  and  St.  Paul  both  paid  little 
attention  to  days.  The  sacrament  is  a  meal.  "I  must  work 
the  works  of  him  that  sent  me."  "Whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to 
the  glory  of  God."  What  do  you  think  of  that?  I  have  been 
talking  religion  to  a  lot  of  men  and  I  am  convinced  that  it  con- 
sists with  them  far  more  in  honesty,  industry,  working  hard  for 
wife  and  children  than  it  does  in  hearing  sermons  or  prayers. 
Indeed  the  motives  which  make  many  of  them  belong  to  the 
Church  will  not  bear  close  examination. 

Oh  !  but  the  country  is  beautiful.  The  other  night  going  into 
Telluride  was  simply  marvellous.  The  green  of  all  shades,  the 
great  red  cliff,  the  snowy  part  of  the  San  Juan  range  —  so  sharp 
and  gray  and  white,  the  blue  sky  and  the  snow  white  clouds. 


142  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

A  wonderful  afterglow  and  all  shading  into  the  dull  silver  of 
the  moonlight.     There  E.  isn't  that  quite  poetic? 

His  next  trip  was  into  Northern  Nevada  where  he  had 
work  among  the  ranches. 

Clover  Valley,  Nevada,  Oct.  9. 

Well,  it  is  a  poor  little  town  which  makes  one  want  understand- 
ing^ to  call  it  "God  forsaken."  I  dined  with  Dr.  Olmstead 
who  doctors  there  for  miles  around.  The  soul  doctor  was 
starved  out  last  week  and  the  only  church  —  a  Presbyterian  — 
is  closed.  They  seemed  glad  to  see  a  new  man.  This  valley  is 
about  twenty  miles  wide  and  30  long  with  a  strip  of  three  miles 
wide  which  will  grow  anything.  We  stopped  at  all  the  ranches 
along  the  way  to  say,  "  How  do  you  do."  Our's  is  the  only 
mission  and  all  the  people  are  in  some  degree  connected  with  the 
Church.  We  passed  the  Hall,  built  by  the  community  for  all 
sorts  of  gatherings  including  Sunday  School  and  Church.  It  is 
beautifully  placed.  Behind,  the  great  ragged,  jagged  mountains 
rise  perhaps  to  a  height  of  twelve  thousand  feet  and  in  front  lies 
the  broad  valley.  It  is  all  bare  now  but  must  have  been  won- 
derful with  the  green  alfalfa  and  the  waving  grain. 

I  came  at  rather  a  bad  time  for  the  cattle  buyer  has  just  come 
and  the  men  were  busy  rounding  up  the  cattle.  However,  there 
were  about  fifty  out,  including  children  and  two  babies  who 
never  made  a  sound.  The  singing  was  fine.  They  have  a  little 
organ  that  shuts  up  into  a  box,  for  the  mice  and  rats  eat  the  in- 
side out  of  the  other  kind.  After  church  with  a  lot  of  guests 
we  went  home  to  the  typical  Sunday  dinner  —  chicken,  cake 
and  jellies. 

In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Weeks  and  I  went  to  the  round-up.  I 
tell  you  "The  Virginian"  idealizes  it.  I  never  realized  what  a 
brutal,  brutalizing  trade  the  cattle  business  is.  First  we  watched 
the  weighing.  Over  the  platform  of  the  scales  is  built  a  pen  into 
which  as  many  of  the  poor  frightened  creatures  as  possible  are 
driven,  from  five  to  seven,  and  weighed.     They  average  from 


THE   CHURCH   IN   UTAH  143 

eleven  hundred  to  twelve  hundred  pounds  and  are  paid  for, 
three  and  a  half  cents  per  pound.  Then  I  went  to  see  the 
branding. 

Mr.  H.  who  owns  a  big  cattle  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  thousand  acres  and  forty  thousand  cattle  was  buy- 
ing yearlings.  The  poor  struggling,  frightened  brutes  were 
driven  into  a  sort  of  trough,  two  at  a  time.  When  in,  the  sides 
are  chained  together  with  ropes  so  that  they  are  packed  in  and 
then  branded  in  two  places  and  their  ears  cut.  The  dust  and 
cries  and  the  struggling  and  the  burning  odor  and  the  blood  made 
it  an  awful  ghastly  sight,  and  I  was  glad  to  get  away. 

At  night  we  had  another  good  service  and  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  the  men  were  very  tired  several  of  them  came.  I  am  to 
spend  the  next  three  days  going  about  calling  and  dining.  Did 
I  tell  you  Mr.  Taylor  of  Warren  sent  me  $100  for  my  work,  from 
one  of  his  laymen,  and  just  in  time  to  help  get  Smith  out  here 
where  he  is  much  needed. 

I  never  saw  more  hospitable  people.  Everybody  is  always 
welcome  and  to  stay  as  long  as  they  please.  Visitors  seem  to  be 
a  luxury  in  Clover  Valley. 

Eureka,  Nev.  Oct.  19. 

Got  here  this  a.m.  in  a  regular  blizzard,  snow  right  in  our  faces. 
Ought  to  have  arrived  at  2  a.m.  but  it  was  4.30.  Had  a  big  thick 
coat,  borrowed  in  Ely  and  gunny  sack  about  my  feet  and  didn't 
mind  it.  The  people  here  were  glad  to  have  me  and  I  was  just 
in  time  for  a  funeral.  The  funeral  was  dreadful;  undertakers 
in  town  may  be  officious  but  those  in  the  wilds  are  unspeakable. 
This  man  jumped  into  the  grave  to  pull  up  the  straps  and  put 
the  cover  on  the  box. 

I  send  you  the  letter  from  President  Wilson  (asking  him  to 
preach  in  the  Princeton  college  chapel).  It  is  about  the  biggest 
honor  I've  ever  had.  I  wish  I  might  accept  it,  but  I  am  more 
likely  to  get  money  for  Utah  in  Trinity  Church  than  in  college 
chapel. 

We  had  fine  services  last  night.     Wonderful  with  no  clergyman. 


144  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

It  really  seems  that  two  or  three  earnest  lay  people  do  more  good 
than  a  poor  minister. 

I  go  to-morrow  noon  to  Austin.  It  is  only  seventy-five  miles 
over  the  country  but  nearly  three  hundred  as  I  have  to  go.  One 
does  spend  so  much  time  just  "getting  there."  The  people  in 
the  east  do  not  understand  what  a  lot  of  time  it  all  takes,  as  long 
to  go  from  Eureka  to  Austin  as  from  Chicago  to  New  York. 

Austin,  Nev.  Oct.  22. 

We  had  a  fine  service.  The  Methodists  shut  up  shop  and  the 
preacher,  a  very  nice  man,  read  the  lessons  for  me.  The  church 
here  was  for  years  the  first  in  Nevada.  It  had  a  pipe  organ  and 
beautiful  walnut  furniture.  How  I  wish  we  could  get  enough 
money  to  have  a  clergyman.  The  rectory  had  been  abandoned 
and  was  in  ruins  when  Captain  G.,  a  fine  Churchman,  who  has  lived 
here  for  years,  moved  in  and  has  fixed  it  up  in  "ship  shape." 
That  phrase  means  a  lot  to  him  for  he  was  once  a  sea  captain. 
The  house  is  neat  as  a  pin.  Bishop  Leonard  doesn't  seem  to 
have  come  oftener  than  once  a  year  and  some  times  not  that. 
It  is  the  great  distance  that  takes  the  time.  Stage  riding  is  a 
dreadful  waste  of  time,  for  one  can  neither  read,  or  write,  only 
talk  and  think.  And  besides  when  one  is  alone  with  the  driver 
he  soon  learns  all  that  individual  knows. 

I  had  quite  a  time  last  night.  The  train  from  Eureka  to 
Battle  Mountain  is  a  little  narrow  gauge  affair  and  was  late. 
When  we  reached  Battle  Mountain  I  couldn't  get  a  bed,  not  even 
a  cot,  for  the  races  were  on  in  the  town.  So  I  sat  in  the  hotel 
room  by  the  fire.  About  one  o'clock  a  man  came  out  of  one  of 
the  bedrooms  and  asked  me  why  I  didn't  go  to  bed,  and  I  laughed 
and  said  that  beds  were  a  scarce  article!  He  said,  "You  can 
take  mine,  it's  clean  and  I'm  through  for  the  night."  I  protested 
but  he  insisted  and  so  I  went  with  him  and  tumbled  in.  There 
were  two  other  men  in  the  little  room,  but  I  got  some  sleep. 
I  have  a  good  bed  here  at  the  rectory  and  I  shall  make  up  for 
lost  time. 


THE    CHURCH   IN   UTAH  145 

I  confess  I  had  forgotten  about  the  year  ago  excitement.  Its 
wonderful  how  one  drops  into  the  new  life  and  sort  of  takes  it 
for  granted  that  it  has  been  that  way  always.  On  account  of 
the  horse  races  they  have  decided  not  to  run  the  railroad  train ! 
It  puts  me  out  of  all  my  other  appointments,  but  it  gives  me  a 
good  chance  to  answer  all  my  letters  and  visit  the  public  school 
here. 

Elko,  Nev.  Oct.  29. 
I  had  a  most  interesting  experience  in  Battle  Mountain.  Mrs. 
Jenkins,  an  intelligent  English  woman,  told  me  there  were  fifteen 
Church  people  in  town  and  only  three  Methodists,  and  they  were 
longing  for  a  Church  service,  and  that  Dr.  Polk,  the  physician 
was  a  Churchman.  I  went  to  see  him  and  found  him  a  splendid 
fellow  —  a  Cornell  and  Columbia  man  who  has  worked  four 
years  with  Bishop  Hare.  He  is  just  the  kind  of  a  Churchman  you 
like  to  meet  —  took  the  Church  Standard  and  knew  what  he 
believed  and  loved  the  Church.  We  hustled  round  and  got  the 
loan  of  the  Methodist  Church.  Posted  notices  and  at  7.30 
had  a  fine  service.  When  I  was  leaving  Dr.  P.  gave  me  $10  for 
missions,  saying  he  hadn't  had  a  chance  to  for  a  long  time  and 
wants  to  help.     I'll  get  off  to  Salt  Lake  to-night  after  service. 

Salt  Lake,  Oct.  30. 

Home  safe  this  a.m.  Feeling  well  but  rather  tired  of  traveling. 
I'm  to  preach  twice  to-morrow  for  Mr.  Perkins.  It  is  the  25th 
anniversary  of  the  church.  My  text  is,  "Speak  unto  the  Chil- 
dren of  Israel  that  they  go  forward." 

I've  had  another  letter  from  President  Wilson.  He  is  cer- 
tainly taking  a  lot  of  trouble  to  get  a  poor  preacher. 

I  have  been  pretty  well  over  the  district  now  and  I  know  just 
about  what  it  is  going  to  mean.  There  are  two  courses  open  to 
me.  One  is  to  be  a  superintending  kind  of  a  bishop,  to  try  to 
stay  a  good  part  of  the  time  in  Salt  Lake  and  go  to  confirm  and 
all  that.  If  I  were  married  I'd  have  to  be  that  kind,  as  father 
was,  for  I'd  have  a  duty  to  my  family.     But  there  is  the  other 


146  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

kind,  the  missionary  bishop.  It  would  require  me  to  be  on  the 
go  all  the  time  and,  if  I  am  not  to  be  married,  I  think  that  is  the 
kind  of  bishop  I  ought  to  be,  the  kind  this  district  really  needs 
unless  it  is  divided.  While  it  is  its  present  size  and  while  we  have 
so  little  money  to  work  it,  the  bishop  could  easily  be  away  ten 
months  of  the  year. 

It  grows  very  clear  to  me  sometimes  that  I  would  be  a  most 
unsatisfactory  kind  of  a  husband  for  any  woman  to  have,  for  if 
I  am  to  do  this  work  well,  I  shall  have  to  be  away  so  much  that 
to  ask  a  woman  to  marry  me  is  to  ask  her  to  be  very  lonely.  I 
ought  almost  to  say,  "  Will  you  be  my  widow  ?"  I  guess  the  Lord 
knows  what  He  is  about  for  I  haven't  time  to  be  anybody's 

husband. 

White  Rocks,  Utah,  Nov.  10,  1905. 

One  sometimes  wonders  whether  what  Mr.  Chesterton  says 
about  the  book  of  Job  isn't  true,  that  it  tells  us  that  life  and 
the  world  and  the  whole  of  it  is  "one  huge  divine  joke."  If  that 
be  true  then  it's  the  gift  of  humor  which  helps  us  see  the  job  a 
little  and  that  saves  us.  And  I  confess  that  my  sense  of  humor 
does  come  to  the  relief  of  my  poor  old  heart  sometimes,  for  I 
must  seem  to  the  angels  like  a  man  chasing  his  hat  when  the 
wind  has  blown  it  off ;  just  when  he  has  caught  up  with  it  it  takes 
another  spurt  and  he  goes  on  ridiculously  down  the  street.  He 
really  must  try  to  catch  up  with  it  if  he  can  or  get  a  hard  cold 
in  the  head  and  be  rather  absurd  without  a  hat.  You  are  a  lot 
younger  than  I  am,  I  guess  my  youthful  enthusiasms  are  all 
gone. 

There  have  been  men  who  coveted  the  distinction  of  the 
missionary  episcopate  and  loved  to  be  called  of  men 
"bishop"  and  "Rt.  Rev.",  but  who,  when  confronted 
by  the  petty  tasks,  the  hardships  and  the  magnitude  of  the 
problem,  soon  sought  transfer  to  an  established  diocese 
or  some  place  of  comparative  ease.  Such  men  are  popu- 
larly known  in  the  Church  as  the  bishops  from  such  and 
such  a  place.     But  when  a  man  faces  the  task  of  the  Church 


THE   CHURCH   IN   UTAH  147 

in  the  new  country  and  endures  hardship  as  a  good  soldier, 
he  deserves,  whether  or  not  he  receives,  the  distinction  not 
of  a  bishop,  but  what  is  infinitely  better,  of  a  hero  of  the 
Church  of  God.  Frank  Spalding  went  to  Utah,  as  he  wrote 
his  mother,  "to  stay."  From  his  knowledge  of  the  West- 
ern country  and  of  his  own  father's  life,  he  knew  what  to 
expect.  The  stage  driver  into  the  Uintah  country  said  of 
him,  "When  I  first  seen  him  I  know'd  he  was  no  tender 
foot."  Depressed  he  might  be,  after  surveying  his  field, 
and  giving  utterance  to  his  mood,  for  he  was  ever  outspoken 
and  frank,  but  never  overcome  and  defeated.  He  said  to 
his  own  soul,  as  to  the  people  of  St.  Paul's,  "Speak  unto 
the  Children  of  Israel  that  they  go  forward." 


XI 

Salt  Lake  City 

To  His  Mother 

Salt  Lake,  July  30,  1905. 
I've  been  writing  a  lot  of  notes  to  rich  men  in  Salt  Lake,  ask- 
ing them  when  I  can  have  a  short  interview  with  them  and  if 
they  reply  I  shall  have  to  get  up  my  nerve  and  go  for  the  money. 
It  will  show  how  good  a  beggar  I  am.  I've  surely  a  good  cause 
and  I'm  going  to  do  my  best.  It  takes  all  the  grit  I  have  to  do 
it.  It  is  so  much  easier  work  to  give  than  to  make  other  people 
give. 

The  good  cause,  to  which  he  refers,  was  St.  Mark's  Hos- 
pital, Salt  Lake  City.  St.  Mark's  had  been  started  by 
Bishop  Tuttle  when  such  a  thing  as  a  hospital  had  never 
been  thought  of  in  Utah.  The  Mormons  believed  that 
prayer  and  the  laying  on  of  the  Elder's  hands  availed  for 
cure,  and  felt  no  need  of  expert  medical  science.  With 
the  discovery  of  the  precious  metals  in  the  mountains  of 
Utah  the  population  increased  rapidly,  the  newcomers 
engaging  in  more  dangerous  work  than  farming,  which  was 
the  only  occupation  the  Mormon  leaders  encouraged,  and 
the  need  of  a  hospital  became  urgent.  Started  in  a  small 
adobe  house  in  two  rooms,  in  seven  years  St.  Mark's  cared 
for  two  thousand  three  hundred  and  eight  patients  at  an 
expenditure  of  $64,870.98.  Until  1904  St.  Mark's  Hospital 
kept  up  this  remarkable  record  of  self  support.  Its  gifts 
for  the    erection  of   new    buildings    and  the  purchase  of 

148 


SALT   LAKE   CITY  1 49 

equipment  had  amounted  to  less  than  $25,000  and  of  that 
amount  $21,000  was  given  by  five  generous  Western  men. 
In  the  year  1903  $30,000  was  borrowed  for  the  erection 
of  the  north  wing,  with  its  greatly  needed  operating  room 
and  kitchen.  In  the  meantime  other  churches  followed 
the  example  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  The  Roman 
Catholic  Church  opened  a  hospital  and  the  Mormons 
erected  the  Latter  Day  Saints  Hospital  at  a  cost  of 
$1,000,000.  The  patronage  of  St.  Mark's  fell  behind, 
and  Bishop  Leonard,  as  one  of  the  last  acts  of  his  epis- 
copate, signed  a  mortgage  for  $30,000.  When  Bishop 
Spalding  went  to  Utah  the  hospital  was  unable  to  pay 
interest  on  the  debt  and  was  badly  in  need  of  a  nurses' 
home. 

To  the  distasteful  task  of  raising  money  Spalding  set 
himself  with  a  will  in  the  first  summer  of  his  episcopate. 
He  knew  that  the  large  sum  needed  would  have  to  be  raised 
outside  of  Utah  but  he  believed  that  every  effort  should 
first  be  made  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

To  His  Mother 

June  10,  1905. 

Dr.  B.  is  kind  enough  to  agree  to  go  about  with  me  this  sum- 
mer and  try  to  raise  money  in  Salt  Lake  City  to  repair  the  hos- 
pital, and  I  cannot  tell  him  that  I  will  not  do  it,  when  he  is  will- 
ing, for  it  is  very  kind  in  him  to  go.  The  hospital  is  really  in 
a  very  serious  condition.  We  have  tried  our  very  best  to  get  the 
trustees  to  act  and  they  will  not  do  it,  so  I  must.  I  went  all 
through  the  new  Mormon  hospital  the  other  day.  Everything 
is  just  as  it  ought  to  be  with  the  great  Mormon  Church  behind 
it  to  pay  any  deficit.  And  just  think  of  it,  the  will  that  began 
that  hospital  was  written  by  a  sick  man  in  St.  Mark's  !  I  know 
if  we  are  to  keep  the  doctors  we  must  make  many  improvements 
and  we  cannot  do  that  without  money.     I  expect  I  shall  have 


I50  PRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

to  spend  many  weeks  in  the  East  next  winter  appealing  for 
money  for  the  hospital  but  I  cannot  honestly  do  that  until  I 
have  tried  out  here. 

July  28. 

I  made  my  beginning  yesterday  as  a  hospital  beggar  and  had 
no  success.  Mr.  H.  never  answered  my  note  and  Mr.  W.  turned 
me  down  hopelessly.  But  in  all  great  wars  except  the  Rus- 
sian-Japanese the  losers  of  the  first  battle  won  out  in  the  end. 
I  must  stop  and  spend  the  evening  making  calls.  I  suspect  it 
is  to  be  mostly  up  to  me.  Dr.  B.  is  slapping  me  on  the  back  and 
telling  me  to  "go  it." 

E.  told  me  with  great  enthusiasm  that  he  had  collected  fifty- 
three  dollars  for  the  hospital.  Mr.  H.  came  in  saying,  "Did  you 
hear  what  E.  did?"  "Yes,"  I  said,  "he  made  a  creditable  con- 
tribution." "Yes,"  said  H.,  "he  sent  me  fifty- three  dollars  and 
with  it  a  patient  with  typhoid  to  be  paid  for  with  the  fifty-three 
dollars  as  far  as  it  would  go.  The  hospital  will  therefore  prob- 
ably be  poorer  for  the  interest  of  E." 

When  Bishop  Spalding  finally  went  East  after  making 
every  effort  in  Salt  Lake  he  raised  $53,000  which  paid  in 
full  the  indebtedness,  and  erected  the  Bishop  Leonard 
Memorial  Nurses  Home.  The  decline  in  St.  Mark's  patron- 
age was  only  temporary.  In  September,  1914,  just  be- 
fore his  death,  he  reported  two  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  fifty- three  patients  cared  for  and  the  hospital  revenue 
amounting  to  over  $84,000.  There  were  thirty-two  physi- 
cians on  the  staff,  consulting,  active  and  associate,  thirty- 
nine  nurses  in  the  training  school,  five  supervising  nurses 
and  at  least  six  graduate  nurses  always  in  attendance 
on  private  patients.  St.  Mark's  had  at  that  time  $16,000 
endowment;  three  ward  beds  were  endowed  with  $5000 
each  and  a  gift  of  $1000  provided  for  the  upkeep  of 
a   private    room.      Of    this  endowment    $1100   was  given 


SALT   LAKE   CITY  151 

by  Eastern  friends.  Beginning  with  absolutely  nothing, 
St.  Mark's  not  only  paid  its  own  way  almost  entirely, 
but  built  a  plant  worth  over  $100,000.  Churchmen  out- 
side of  Utah  contributed  in  that  time  to  the  fabric  and 
endowment  less  than  $70,000.  St.  Mark's  has  almost  a 
unique  history  of  self-reliance  and  self-support.  It  was 
the  work  of  Frank  Spalding,  taken  up  with  no  confidence 
in  his  ability  to  raise  money  but  pushed  with  all  his  grit, 
that  restored  St.  Mark's  to  its  place  of  usefulness  and  ser- 
vice to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men.1 

The  last  article  which  Bishop  Spalding  wrote  before  his 
death  was  about  St.  Mark's.  In  it  he  said  that  though  St. 
Mark's  was  ministering  to  more  patients  than. either  of  the 
other  hospitals  in  Salt  Lake  City,  the  time  had  come  when 
a  new  hospital  must  be  built.  "Of  course  the  St.  Mark's 
of  the  future  cannot  build  itself.  God  only  knows  where  the 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  it  will  cost  will  come  from. 
But  if  St.  Mark's  is  doing  His  work  they  will  surely  come." 
In  that  faith  he  labored  and  in  that  faith  he  died.  Those 
who  knew  of  his  faith  and  labor  have  proposed  that  the  new 
St.  Mark's  shall  be  a  memorial  to  him.  If  the  Church  at 
large  knows  of  it,  beyond  doubt  generous  Church  people 
will  make  his  last  dream  a  beneficent  reality. 

To  His  Mother 

Salt  Lake,  Oct.  6,  1905. 

Rowland  Hall  is  fine.  The  new  teachers  are  very  nice  look- 
ing and  the  school  is  bigger  than  ever;  thirty-eight  boarders 
and  I  don't  know  how  many  day  pupils. 

1  In  one  month  209  patients  were  distributed  as  follows:  men  176, 
women  33;  Irish  4,  Greeks  23,  Americans  146,  Finns  12,  Austrians  5, 
Swedes  5,  Japanese  4,  Italians  6,  Scotch  1,  German  1.  Episcopal  14, 
Roman  Catholic  24,  Mormons  30,  Presbyterian  9,  Disciples  2,  Baptist  3, 
Greek  Church  22,  Lutheran  7,  no  church  connection  98. 


152  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

Before  the  public  schools  of  Utah  were  improved  and 
passed  under  "Gentile"  control,  the  Church  established 
day  schools  in  towns  where  it  had  missions.  After  that 
much-needed  reform  in  the  public  school  system  the  Church 
wisely  closed  its  schools.  In  Salt  Lake  City,  however,  the 
girls'  school  had  been  partially  endowed  and  had  received 
several  scholarships  from  generous  friends  in  the  East. 
This  school  was  Rowland  Hall,  and  when  Spalding  went  to 
Utah  it  was  entering  upon  its  twenty-fifth  year. 

Rowland  Hall  had  an  excellent  record  of  scholarship. 
Its  graduates  frequently  went  to  the  leading  colleges  of  the 
country  and  there  found  that  they  had  been  well  prepared. 
But  what  especially  interested  Bishop  Spalding  was  the 
school's  contribution  to  the  home  in  the  small  town  and  on 
the  ranch.  On  his  first  visit  to  the  outlying  missions  of 
his  jurisdiction  he  found  here  and  there  a  graduate  of  a 
Church  School  and  saw  its  far-reaching  influence.  It  was 
women  receiving  such  training  who  kept  up  the  Sunday 
School  in  towns  where  no  clergymen  had  been  sent,  or 
assisted  the  clergymen  or  who  worked  up  a  congregation 
for  the  bishop. 

In  1905,  when  Bishop  Spalding  reached  Salt  Lake, 
Rowland  Hall  faced  a  critical  year.  It  became  necessary 
to  erect  a  new  building,  and  the  "  Brunot  Bequest "  of  $38,000 
had  to  be  used  for  that  purpose,  thus  depriving  the  school 
of  what  had  been  for  a  number  of  years  an  endowment. 
Building  materials  increased  in  cost  during  that  year,  so 
that  although  the  original  plan  of  having  a  chapel  con- 
nected with  the  school  was  abandoned,  and  parts  of  the 
building  were  kept  unfinished,  yet  a  debt  of  $12,000  had 
to  be  incurred.  Instead  of  having  the  income  of  $38,000 
to  apply  to  the  expenses  of  the  school  and  the  assistance  of 
needy  pupils,  the  school  had  to  pay  from  its  income  the 


SALT   LAKE   CITY  1 53 

interest  on  $12,000.  The  scholarships  amounted  in  that 
year  to  $1045,  while  $2115  was  spent  in  helping  girls  who 
could  not  stay  in  the  school  without  help.  Under  such  con- 
ditions the  school  could  not  exist  long. 

It  was  proposed  to  meet  the  critical  situation  by  increas- 
ing the  tuition  to  $500,  but  Bishop  Spalding  set  his  face 
against  it.  The  school  was  ever  in  danger  of  becoming  a 
select  private  day  school  for  the  daughters  of  well-to-do 
people  in  Salt  Lake  who  could  well  afford  to  send  them  to 
expensive  Eastern  schools ;  whereas  he  had  ever  in  mind  the 
girl  on  the  ranch  and  in  the  small  town.  It  was  this  girl 
who  in  all  probability  would,  after  graduation,  go  back  to 
her  home  and  become  influential,  either  as  teacher  in  the 
school  or  as  mother  of  a  family.  The  students  usually 
became  Churchwomen  before  graduation,  and  thus  through 
them  the  high  standards  of  Christian  womanhood  were 
carried  into  the  valleys  and  mountains.  Therefore  Spald- 
ing determined  to  give  the  education  to  the  girls  who  needed 
it  and  would  make  the  best  use  of  it.  It  meant,  however, 
that  he  must  raise  the  money  to  pay  the  debt  and  finish 
the  building.  He  believed  there  must  be  those  who  were 
interested  in  the  education  of  these  girls  and  the  Church 
work  in  the  far  West,  who,  when  they  knew  of  the  need, 
would  furnish  the  money  necessary  to  relieve  the  embar- 
rassment. There  were  no  Church  schools  in  Utah,  Montana, 
Nevada,  Wyoming,  New  Mexico  and  Oklahoma,  and  the 
girls  from  western  Colorado  and  eastern  Idaho  could 
reach  Rowland  Hall  more  easily  than  the  Church  schools 
in  their  own  states.  Where  Mormonism  was  intrenched 
Spalding  felt  that  it  was  essential  that  Christian  influence 
should  surround  the  girls  of  both  city  and  country.  It 
was  a  lamentable  fact  that  a  large  number  of  Gentile  girls 
were  being  educated  in  Mormon  Church  schools. 


154  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

When  the  burden  of  the  hospital  debt  had  been  lifted, 
Bishop  Spalding  put  his  strong  shoulders  beneath  Rowland 
Hall.  He  had  appealed  to  Utah  and  the  East  for  the  hos- 
pital, he  would  appeal  to  Utah  and  California  for  the 
school.  The  great  tide  of  population  as  it  swept  westward 
leaped  the  mountains  and  settled  down  on  the  coast  where 
it  increased  in  wealth  and  culture.  The  Pacific  coast  was 
draining  wealth  out  of  the  Utah  mountains  as  was  the 
Atlantic,  and  Spalding  felt  that  it  had  a  corresponding 
duty  to  the  mountains. 

To  His  Mother 

May  10,  1909. 

I  am  going  to  the  Pacific  coast  to  try  to  get  money  for  Utah 
and  stir  up  missionary  interest.  I  have  been  working  this  idea 
up  for  some  time  and  when  at  last  Bishops  Keator  and  Nichols 
and  all  agreed  to  it  I  felt  I  had  won  quite  a  victory.  I  send 
you  herewith  an  article  I  wrote  for  the  Pacific  Churchman  which 
gives  the  argument.  When  I  speak  of  the  Middle  States  I  do 
not  mean  the  old  middle  west  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa,  &c. 
but  I  mean  the  western  middle  states,  Utah,  Idaho,  Arizona, 
Nevada,  &c.  There  is  great  wealth  along  the  Pacific  coast  and 
unless  we  begin  to  develop  a  sense  of  missionary  responsibility 
there,  we  shall,  I  feel,  be  making  a  great  mistake.  I  know  it 
will  not  be  easy  and  that  I  may  not  make  even  expenses  and  yet 
I  believe  for  the  good  of  the  Church  in  the  West  some  one  ought 
to  make  the  experiment,  and  I'm  going  to  try  as  they  all  seem 
to  think  I  am  as  well  fitted  to  do  it  as  any  one  else.  I  hope  you'll 
feel  that  I'm  not  altogether  wrong  about  the  Pacific  trip.  John 
Wood  was  very  happy  about  it,  and  indeed  it  seemed  a  fine 
step  forward  for  the  whole  Department.  It  will  not  do  for  us 
all  to  feel  that  we  must  help  only  ourselves  and  they  all  realize 
that  Utah  is  an  especially  tough  proposition.  It  is  very  kind 
of  Mr.  H.  to  want  me  but  of  course  I  wouldn't  consider  it  even 
if  I  could  under  the  canons.     I  think  a  missionary  bishop  ought 


SALT   LAKE   CITY  155 

to  stay.  It  seems  to  me  that  is  the  real  value  of  the  bishop.  He 
is  there  for  life  and  so  becomes  thoroughly  identified  with  the 
State,  believes  in  it,  and  represents  it.  This  he  cannot  do  if  he 
thinks  of  the  missionary  episcopate  as  a  stepping  stone  to  some- 
thing better. 

As  a  result  of  his  labors  East  and  West,  the  debt  of 
$12,000  was  paid,  several  scholarships  for  the  payment  of 
the  expenses  of  worthy  girls  were  contributed,  and  a  beau- 
tiful new  chapel  costing  $8000  was  built,  and  $4000  was 
given  to  finish  the  unfinished  portion  of  the  new  building. 
Thirty-two  hundred  dollars  came  from  the  Missionary 
Thank  Offering  of  1908.  To-day  Rowland  Hall,  with  its 
dignified  chapel  and  its  well-equipped  building,  stands 
upon  its  hill,  looking  out  over  the  stronghold  of  the  Mor- 
mons and  the  great  valley  of  Utah,  a  witness  to  Bishop 
Spalding's  faith  in  the  Christian  education  of  womanhood. 
He  made  a  great  point  of  building  as  beautiful  buildings 
as  it  was  possible  to  do,  regretting  the  many  cheap  and 
ugly  edifices  which  represented  the  Church  in  so  many 
little  towns  throughout  the  West. 

The  University  of  Utah,  the  State  University,  brings  to- 
gether in  Salt  Lake  City  each  year  a  large  number  of  stu- 
dents both  Mormon  and  Gentile.  The  separation  between 
Town  and  Gown  was  in  Salt  Lake  as  in  every  other  college 
center.  Spalding  came  into  contact  with  the  students  of 
the  University  the  first  June  he  was  in  Salt  Lake,  when  he 
preached  the  baccalaureate  sermon  before  the  Class  of 
1905.  How  to  reach  the  students  and  surround  them  with 
the  protection  and  inspiration  of  religion  was  a  problem 
which  deeply  interested  him  from  that  time.  When  he 
found  himself  free  of  the  burdens  which  he  had  inherited 
he  took  up  with  enthusiasm  the  solution  of  the  student 
problem.     It  seemed  to  him  that  a  club-house  similar  to 


156  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

the  successful  work  for  students  at  Logan,  would  do  for 
young  men  in  the  University  what  the  parish  house  had 
done  for  the  children  and  young  people  of  Erie.  A  house 
with  dormitory,  swimming-tank,  reading-room,  billiard-room 
and  chapel  would  bring  together,  upon  a  social  basis, 
Mormon  and  Gentile  students.  In  the  exchange  of  opinion 
and  the  common  interest  of  work  and  play,  student  would 
influence  student,  and  a  better  understanding  would  result. 
So  the  Emery  House  was  built,  adjoining  the  University 
campus.  At  its  very  center,  as  the  source  of  its  life,  is  the 
chapel  with  its  daily  prayers,  attendance  at  which  was 
entirely  voluntary.  There  are  rooming  accommodations  for 
thirty-eight  men,  a  dining-room  big  enough  to  accommodate 
the  residents  and  others,  a  swimming- tank,  which  is  used  on 
certain  days  by  boys  of  the  neighborhood  and  by  the  stu- 
dents. There,  in  the  reading-room  is  found  to-day  the 
library  of  Bishop  Spalding  and  the  desk  and  chairs  which 
he  used  in  his  Salt  Lake  study.  The  daily  influence  of 
this  house  upon  the  students  of  the  University  is  great 
and  from  the  day  it  was  opened  it  has  been  taxed  to  its 
utmost  capacity.  The  Emery  House  was  made  possible  by 
a  gift  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  from  one  generous 
Ohio  woman  who  had  followed  the  career  of  Frank  Spald- 
ing with  motherly  interest  and  found  in  this  work  for  col- 
lege men  a  beautiful  memorial  to  her  own  boy  who  had  died 
while  a  student  in  college. 

Bishop  Spalding's  influence  in  the  city  was  exerted  through 
the  pulpit  even  more  than  through  the  institutions  of  the 
Church.  During  the  summers  he  frequently  took  duty  at 
St.  Mark's  Cathedral  while  the  Dean  was  on  his  vacation. 
Every  Lent,  when  he  could  arrange  to  be  in  Salt  Lake,  he 
gave  a  course  of  lectures. 


SALT  LAKE  CITY  1 57 

To  His  Mother 

Aug.  6,  1905. 

There  was  a  good  congregation  this  morning  and  I  preached  a 
new  sermon  which  I  had  written  out,  on  the  Transfiguration  and 
had  a  good  time  preaching  it  too.  It  was  about  Peter's  proposal 
to  build  three  booths,  etc.  I  tried  to  show  that  we  all  needed  to 
get  out  of  the  rush  and  sin  of  life,  up  with  Christ  and  Moses  and 
Elias;  that  Christ  stood  for  a  new  grasp  on  the  worth  of  man 
and  the  love  of  God,  Moses  for  a  new  hold  of  the  eternal  prin- 
ciple of  right  and  wrong,  and  Elijah  for  a  sense  of  duty  though 
all  the  world  seemed  against  one.  But  that  the  real  proof  of 
Christ's  divinity  was  not  in  his  being  on  the  mountain  with 
raiment  white  and  glistering  but  his  taking  the  strength  he  got 
there  and  going  down  to  the  plain  with  it  to  heal  the  sick  and 
cast  out  the  devil ;  as  Gerald  Stanley  Lee  says,  "  to  love  ordinary 
James  and  try  again  with  Judas  and  be  Peter's  brother  until  he 
died."  And  here  I  took  a  shot  at  two  tendencies;  the  selfish- 
ness of  culture  —  which  wants  us  to  be  children  of  nature  in  a 
forest  of  Arden,  build  booths  and  stay  there ;  and  the  Christian 
Scientist,  who  bids  one  live  up  on  the  heights  so  completely 
that  you  are  to  hypnotize  yourself  into  thinking  there  are  no 
suffering,  sinning  men  who  need  you  down  below. 

It  is  nice  to  spend  Lent  at  home  and  have  regular  addresses 
to  deliver.  I've  undertaken  a  good  deal  in  the  lectures  at  St. 
Paul's  and  St.  Mark's.  It  is  harder  than  it  used  to  be  for  they 
make  a  bigger  fuss  over  a  bishop's  addresses  than  they  used  to 
over  a  rector's,  and  that  makes  me  nervous.  We  had  a  church 
full  at  St.  Paul's  last  night  and  the  people  listened  very  atten- 
tively. I  am  also  lecturing  to  the  Rowland  Hall  girls  on  the 
Bible,  Fridays  at  11.45,  f°r  forty-five  minutes.  It  makes  a  good 
deal  of  work  for  they  seem,  especially  at  St.  Mark's,  to  expect  a 
good  deal  from  the  Bishop.  I  am  working  very  hard  over  these 
lectures  and  only  wish  I  had  more  time. 

His  lectures  dealt  with  such  important  subjects  as,  "  The 
Personality  of  God,"  " The  Divinity  of  Christ,"  "Inspiration 


158  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

of  the  Bible,"  "  Credibility  of  Miracles,"  "The  Authority  of 
the  Church,"  "Prayer  —  Is  it  Reasonable."  On  special 
occasions  such  as  Labor  Sunday  he  arranged  special  services, 
making  use  of  prayers  such  as  those  of  Professor  Rauschen- 
busch  and  rearranging  hymns  like  "Onward,  Christian 
Soldiers,"  making  it  read,  "Onward,  Christian  Workers." 

April  10,  1908. 
I  finished  my  last  lecture  —  on  Socialism  —  last  night  to  a 
church  crowded  to  the  doors.  The  lectures  didn't  please  every- 
body and  yet  I  think  they  did  good  for  they  brought  a  lot  of 
people  to  church  who  haven't  been  there  for  years,  and  I  sup- 
pose one's  influence  and  the  Church's  influence  is  increased  as 
the  Bishop  is  known  to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men.  It  is 
wonderful  what  big  crowds  we  have  had  at  the  St.  Paul's  lectures. 

Saturday  Night. 

I  have  a  busy  Sunday  ahead  of  me  but  I  think  I  have  my  ser- 
mons pretty  well  in  mind.  I'm  going  to  preach  at  St.  Paul's  in 
the  a.m.  on  St.  Matt.  27  :  5,  6,  7.  The  text  is  so  odd  that  the 
people  will  look  up  and  listen  but  the  moral  is  clear.  When  we 
sell  our  master,  the  Christ  within  us  who  is  our  only  hope  of 
glory,  remorse  is  sure  to  follow,  and  we  shall  find  the  silver  — 
the  pleasure  —  worthless  and.  will  fling  it  down  into  the  temple, 
and  it  is  fit  for  nothing.  Had  we  stood  for  Christ,  our  example 
would  have  made  things  live.  But  the  treason  is  good  only  to 
make  graves. 

And  then  at  night  in  the  Cathedral,  on  St.  John,  xi.  51, 
52.  How  Christ's  death  unified  the  world,  as  Maurice 
said,  "What  the  Roman  eagle  was  expected  to  do,  the  cross 
succeeded  in  doing."  If  we  want  brotherhood  and  peace 
and  unity,  we  must  cultivate  not  the  force  and  power  and 
cruelty  of  the  eagle,  but  the  unselfishness  and  the  love  of 
the  cross. 

Preaching  in  a  place  once  a  year  is  certainly  different  from 


SALT   LAKE   CITY  1 59 

preaching  in  a  parish  to  the  same  congregation  each  Sunday.     It 
is  a  pleasure  being  at  St.  Mark's  twice  in  succession. 

Preaching  to  a  handful  of  people  in  the  towns  isn't  very  good 
practice  for  eloquence  and  choice  diction,  for  though  of  course 
I  try  to  use  as  good  words  as  I  can,  to  keep  their  attention,  one 
is  compelled  to  be  conversational  and  simple. 

In  Salt  Lake  City  Spalding  was  ever  at  work,  trying  to 
understand  and  encourage  some  group  in  its  struggle  for 
better  conditions,  or  help  on  some  noble  cause.  He  was 
President  of  the  Utah  Peace  Society,  and  the  Archaeo- 
logical Society  and  belonged  to  the  Salt  Lake  Playground 
Association,  the  National  Consumers'  League,  National 
Committee  of  One  Hundred,  Anti-Tuberculosis,  American 
Association  for  Labor  Legislation,  Intercollegiate  Socialist 
Society,  Sons  of  American  Revolution,  American  Sociologi- 
cal Society,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  He  always  accepted,  when 
possible,  invitations  to  speak  for  these  causes,  he  wrote 
letters  to  office  holders  in  behalf  of  useful  legislation ;  he 
paid  the  dues  and  tried  to  read  their  publications. 

To  His  Mother 

March  31. 

Yesterday  I  spoke  to  the  D.  &  R.  G.  strikers,  giving  them  a 
review  of  Carroll  D.  Wright's  book  on  the  "Battles  of  Labor." 
He  delivered  the  lectures  in  Philadelphia  Divinity  School. 

I  began  my  lectures  on  the  Bible  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  last  night 
and  had  a  good  sized  crowd,  the  room  full.  It  was  fine  having  all 
those  men  to  talk  to.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  certainly  does  a  lot  of  good, 
for  that  great  building  is  full  of  men  and  boys  all  the  time. 

I've  been  so  busy  that  I  couldn't  write  and  have  had  several 
rather  interesting  adventures.  I  called  on  President  Joseph  F. 
Smith  and  met  him  in  his  room  surrounded  by  several  of  the  apos- 
tles or  counsellors.  I  wanted  to  get  him  to  use  his  influence  to 
prevent  the  sale  of  liquor  to  the  Indians,  and  they  all  promised. 


j6o  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

March  31. 
I  have  been  asked  by  Mr.  Orson  Whitney  to  be  one  of  a  Com- 
mittee to  hear  him  read  a  new  school  history  of  Utah  which  he 
has  written  and  which  he  proposes  introducing  into  the  Utah 
Schools.  I  really  don't  know  what  I  ought  to  do  about  it; 
though  it  would  be  very  interesting  and  it  will  be  very  delicate, 
one  would  like  to  help  make  the  history  truthful  and  that  way 
invites  unpleasant  relations  with  the  Mormons.  But  I  think 
if  I  can  get  in  the  time  I'll  do  it,  for  what  am  I  here  for  if  not 
to  do  just  such  things. 

The  papers  of  Salt  Lake  uttered  a  simple  truth,  known 
to  all  men,  when  they  headed  their  accounts  of  the  terrible 
accident  of  September  25,  1914,  with  these  words,  "Salt 
Lake  has  lost  a  great  citizen." 


XII 

MORMONISM 

Bishop  Spalding  was  the  first  missionary  among  the  Mor- 
mons to  make  a  serious  effort  to  understand  Mormonism. 
His  exposition  of  the  theological  system  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  based  as  it  was  upon  a 
first-hand  study  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  other  authori- 
tative literature  of  the  church,  was  regarded  by  the  Mor- 
mons themselves  as  eminently  fair  and  true.  He  held  that 
the  missionary  to  the  Mormons  was  under  the  same  obliga- 
tion to  know  their  literature  as  was  the  missionary  to  the 
Chinese  to  know  the  writings  of  Confucius.  From  the  day 
he  went  to  Utah  we  find  him  both  reading  the  Mormon 
literature  and  seeking  to  know  the  effect  of  its  teaching  on 
the  e very-day  life  of  the  Mormon  people. 

To  His  Mother 

Salt  Lake  City,  Jan.  16,  1905. 

I  made  my  first  break.  The  little  girls  where  I  was  dining 
were  telling  me  about  their  dolls  and  when  one  child  said  'I 
have  thirty-two  dolls,'  I  naturally  said,  'You  are  as  bad  as 
Brigham  Young.'  The  waitress  glared  at  me  and  nearly  dropped 
the  dishes.  When  she  went  out  my  hostess  laughed  and  said 
not  to  mind,  for  she  was  a  Mormon. 

There  are  a  lot  of  very  nice  people  here.  One  would  hardly 
know  there  were  any  Mormons.  Dr.  X.  of  the  St.  Mark's  Hos- 
pital told  me  that  the  whole  business  of  polygamy  was  so  dis- 
M  161 


1 62  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

gusting  that  the  Gentiles  had  made  up  their  minds  that  for 
decency's  sake  they  would  simply  ignore  it  and  keep  it  out  of 
mind  and  not  talk  about  it  any  more  than  they  would  talk  about 
any  other  indecent  subject.  There  seems  to  be  a  general  agree- 
ment that  time  and  development  alone  can  cure  it  and  is 
curing  it. 

I  have  become  quite  well  acquainted  with  Dr.  Paden,  the 
Presbyterian  minister,  and  he  is  a  very  nice  man.  He  is  a  great 
Mormon  fighter.  Mr.  Goshen,  the  Congregational  minister,  is 
also  a  nice  fellow,  a  brilliant  preacher  and  he  disagrees  with  Dr. 
Paden  and  thinks  that  fighting  the  Mormons  does  more  harm 
than  good,  and  that  it  will  in  time  solve  itself. 

In  Salt  Lake  City  the  Gentiles  outnumbered  the  Mor- 
mons, but  in  towns  like  Logan  and  Provo  the  Gentiles  were 
a  very  small  minority.  Writing  from  Logan  on  Feb.  8, 
the  new  bishop  said,  "This  place  is  a  Mormon  stronghold. 
We  have  but  a  dozen  communicants  —  poor  discouraged 
little  folk  who  don't  know  what  to  do  and  I  don't  either." 
At  Provo,  while  he  was  preaching  to  a  congregation  of 
twenty,  the  Mormon  bishop  was  addressing  2000.  In  the 
stage  from  Echo  to  Park  City  he  found  "an  intelligent 
Mormon  who  declared  that  he  abominated  polygamy." 

Vernal,  March  3,  191 5. 
The  Mormons  are  peculiar  in  their  moral  ideas.  Nobody  ever 
locks  his  doors  for  that  sort  of  stealing  is  unknown.  Here, 
however,  Mr.  Ostenson  once  put  a  hat  on  a  stand  near  the  door 
and  asked  any  one  who  wanted  to  help  the  church  to  put  in  as 
they  were  minded.  His  ears  were  cheered  with  a  good  many 
clinking  coins,  but  when  he  counted  the  spoil  there  was  only 
ten  cents.  Later  in  the  evening  a  young  man  came  to  ask  him 
for  a  Prayer  Book,  said  he  was  tired  of  Mormonism  and  deeply 
impressed  with,  the  Episcopal  religion.  It  proved  later  that 
this  same  pious  youth  had  taken  all  the  money  in  the  hat  but 


MORMONISM  163 

the  two  nickels,  and  the  Prayer  Book  dodge  was  a  precaution  to 
prevent  discovery.  The  Mormons  are  very  polite.  They  al- 
ways say  "excuse  me"  when  they  leave  the  table  even  in  the 
boarding  house.  But  the  Vernal  opera  house  owner  said  that  he 
would  loan  us  the  use  of  the  house  because  "the  Episcopals  are 
ladies  and  gentlemen  and  don't  spit  all  over  the  floor." 

The  Mormons  never  blaspheme,  but  they  talk  to  their  horses 
in  language  compared  with  which  a  literal  disobedience  of  the 
third  commandment  would  seem  edifying.  Our  stage  driver 
gave  his  horse  what  he  called,  "Hell  fire  and  a  down  hill  shove," 
and  we  went  the  last  eight  miles  in  the  dark  with  a  rush. 

Union  Pacific  R.R.      Aug.  3,  1905. 
I  am  reading  the  book  of  Mormon  and  am  going  to  read  nothing 
else  until  I  finish  it,  or  at  least  that  is  my  present  intention. 

Salt  Lake,  Aug.  6/1905. 

I  am  patiently  reading  the  book  of  Mormon.  It  is  terrible 
rot,  but  I  suppose  I  ought  to  know  it  if  I  am  to  represent  the  dis- 
trict adequately.  I  shall  be  expected  to  be  an  authority  on 
Mormonism. 

Oct.  10,  1905. 

I  am  now  reading  with  great  interest  the  Mormon  articles  of 
the  Faith  and  Doctrine  and  Covenants  and  I  think  I  shall  be 
quite  an  authority  after  awhile. 

I  met  on  the  train  a  very  intelligent  Mormon  or  ex-Mormon 
from  Provo  and  I've  had  a  good  argument  with  him  and  intend 
to  get  some  more.  He  seems  to  be  a  well  educated  man  and 
quotes  Mill,  Huxley,  Darwin  et  al,  with  great  fluency.  He  was 
once  a  professor  in  the  Brigham  Young  Academy  in  Provo,  and 
I  got  a  good  deal  out  of  him  about  Mormonism.  There  was 
also  on  the  train  a  Mormon  missionary.  He  had  been  preach- 
ing twenty-five  months  in  Colorado.  He  said  he  hadn't  bap- 
tized anybody  but  hoped  he  had  sowed  the  seed.  He  believed 
in  polygamy  as  the  most  perfect  way  but  doubted  whether  he 
was  good  enough  to  be  married  to  more  than  one  woman. 


164  franklin  spencer  spalding 

Randlett,  Nov.  8,  1905. 

I  have  been  getting  lots  of  evidence  for  my  speech  on  Mor- 
monism.  Out  here  the  Mormons  are  at  their  worst  and  awful 
tales  are  told  about  their  utter  lack  of  the  common  decencies  of 
life.  However,  I  am  going  to  be  very  careful  not  to  over  state 
the  matter. 

I've  been  reading  Mormonism  until  I'm  sick.  The  book  by 
Roberts  which  they  gave  me  at  the  Information  Bureau  was 
published  in  1903  and  beats  them  all.  I  shall  have  to  go  slow  or 
I'll  become  a  fanatic  too. 

Bishop  Spalding  made  his  first  address  on  Mormonism 
at  the  Inter  seminary  Missionary  Alliance,  in  Cambridge, 
Massachusetts,  in  December,  1905.  Before  going  East 
he  took  his  speech,  carefully  written  out,  over  to  the  Bureau 
of  Information  in  the  Temple  grounds  and  asked  some  one 
in  authority  for  a  frank  criticism.  The  person  of  whom  this 
unusual  request  was  made  lifted  his  eyes  to  heaven  and 
exclaimed,  "At  last  we  have  found  an  honest  man."  Study- 
ing at  Harvard  at  that  time  was  a  university  professor 
from  Utah  who  was  married  to  a  Mormon  woman.  He 
had  talked  on  Mormonism  in  Cambridge  and  had  given  the 
impression  to  many  that  the  "Mormons  are  all  right." 
Bishop  Spalding  wanted  to  give  a  fair  and  accurate  state- 
ment of  Mormonism  in  his  Cambridge  speech,  but  he  also 
felt  that  certain  plain  and  unwelcome  truths  should  also 
be  stated.  When  he  reached  Cambridge  he  at  once  called 
upon  the  professor  from  Utah  and  invited  him  to  attend  the 
meeting  and  to  hear  his  speech  on  Mormonism  and  the 
Mormons,  as  his  one  aim  was  to  be  fair  to  all  concerned. 
The  Bishop  was  greatly  pleased  after  the  meeting  to  have 
the  professor  come  up  to  him  and  thank  him  for  his  fair 
and  intelligent  presentation  of  the  subject. 

Three  methods  of  dealing  with  the  Mormons  were  in 


MORMONISM  165 

vogue  when  Bishop  Spalding  went  to  Utah.  One  was 
that  of  some  Protestant  Churches  which  sought  to  batter 
down  Mormonism  with  opprobrium.  The  second  was  that 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  the  plan  of  building  a 
majestic  cathedral  on  a  commanding  site  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
and  leaving  the  front  door  open.  The  third,  advocated 
by  Bishop  Tuttle  and  followed  by  Bishop  Leonard,  was 
to  avoid  politics  and  polemic,  and  preach  positively  the 
historic  gospel.  Bishop  Spalding's  study  of  the  situation 
led  him  to  believe  that  the  Roman  Church  contributed 
nothing  to  the  solution  of  the  difficulty.  The  Protestants 
by  their  numbers,  energy  and  financial  strength  accom- 
plished much  through  their  mission  schools ;  but  their 
militant  and  derisive  attitude  compromised  their  Chris- 
tian influence.  The  Latter  Day  Saints  did  not  get,  as  a 
rule,  the  sympathy  extended  to  the  Chinese,  the  Indian,  or 
the  African  race.  This  treatment  embittered  the  Mor- 
mons against  them. 

His  aim  was  to  avoid  this  spirit  of  suspicion  and  hostility 
and  to  confine  the  efforts  of  the  Church  to  positive  and  con- 
structive service  to  Mormonism.  By  this  method  he  hoped 
to  accelerate  the  natural  process  of  Mormon  evolution 
from  the  state  of  mind  which  accepts  blood  atonement  and 
polygamy  up  to  that  which  is  only  satisfied  with  the  Chris- 
tian standards.  Mormonism  during  the  past  fifty  years 
has  been  changed,  developed,  uplifted  by  outside  influ- 
ences; it  was  gradually  assuming  the  likeness  of  an  ordi- 
nary Christian  sect.  Bishop  Spalding,  realizing  the  trans- 
formation and  welcoming  it,  sought  to  push  it  to  its 
consummation. 

To  that  end,  he  labored,  in  the  first  place,  to  get  the 
Mormons'  point  of  view,  holding  that  it  is  "all-important 
to  get  a  man's  point  of  view  before  we  can  hope  to  influ- 


1 66  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

ence  him."  The  Mormon  boys  and  girls  are  taught  from 
infancy,  by  parents  and  teachers  whom  they  naturally 
trust,  to  believe  in  the  divinity  of  the  Mormon  form  of 
church  organization  and  theological  expression  and  in 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  as  a  prophet  of  God.  Just  as  soon  as 
they  are  old  enough  they  are  encouraged  to  bear  their  wit- 
ness to  the  same  alleged  divine  facts.  They  do  not  think 
nor  are  they  encouraged  to  think.  If  they  have  doubts 
they  are  taught  to  pray  and  work  for  their  Church  and  to 
believe  that  their  prayers  are  answered.  The  result  is  a 
blind,  unreasoned  belief  in  the  founder  of  Mormonism  as 
a  prophet  of  God  and  in  the  truth  of  every  claim  he  made. 
As  a  result  Spalding  knew  and  took  joy  in  pointing  out, 
that  it  is  just  as  hard  to  induce  a  Mormon  to  change  his 
faith  as  it  is  to  induce  a  Presbyterian  or  an  Episcopalian 
or  a  Roman  Catholic  to  change  his,  and  for  exactly  the  same 
reason.  Nine- tenths  of  the  members  of  all  churches  hold 
their  denominational  creed  and  organization  in  the  same 
unthinking  way  that  the  Mormon  holds  his.  It  followed 
that,  to  his  thinking,  sarcasm  and  ridicule  were  not  only 
wanting  in  Christian  courtesy  but  were  stupid  forms  of 
argument.  The  Mormon  treated  them  as  the  orthodox 
Christian  was  wont  to  treat  Tom  Paine's  "Age  of  Reason" 
or  Ingersoll's  "Mistakes  of  Moses."  He  held  that  infinite 
patience,  unfailing  courtesy,  frank  sympathy  and  con- 
summate tact  were  needed  in  the  controversy  with  the 
Mormons. 

Bishop  Spalding  also  tried  to  put  favorable  construction 
upon  Mormon  words  and  acts.  He  steadily  resisted  the 
temptation  to  tell  vivid  tales  about  the  Mormons,  notwith- 
standing the  pressure  he  was  under  to  raise  money  in  the 
East  where  interest  in  his  work  had  to  be  aroused  and  sym- 
pathy created.     Although  the  Mormons  habitually  over- 


MORMONISM  167 

praised  their  own  virtues  and  idealized  their  history,  he  did 
not  feel  that  it  was  fair  to  offset  their  exaggeration  with 
charges  of  disloyalty  and  immorality  which  are  not  true 
to-day.  Many  Gentiles  criticized  the  Mormon  system 
because  the  revenue  is  spent  by  the  head  officials  without 
consulting  the  wishes  of  the  people  who  contribute  the 
money.  But  he  said  that  that  was  the  method  of  the 
Board  of  Missions  of  his  own  Church.  The  charge  was  also 
made  that  the  people  of  Utah  teach  treason,  and  the  temple 
ritual  was  cited  as  proof.  That  part  of  the  temple  ritual 
was  as  much  a  dead  letter  as  parts  of  the  Anglican  Lit- 
urgy. As  for  polygamous  marriage  —  the  universal  charge 
against  the  Mormon,  —  Bishop  Spalding  recognized  that 
that  had  never  been  practiced  to  the  extent  popularly  sup- 
posed, and  that  such  marriages  were  not  multiplying.  The 
missionary  zeal  of  two  thousand  Mormons  scattered  over 
the  earth,  most  of  whom  are  school  boys,  who  look  at  the 
call  to  a  mission  quite  as  much  as  a  chance  to  see  the  world 
as  to  convert  it,  need  not  be  feared  by  the  churches,  "if 
the  churches  are  even  half  awake."  "It  is  not  fair  to  ex- 
pect young  Mormons  to  condemn  polygamy,  because  in  so 
doing  they  would  condemn  their  own  fathers  and  mothers. 
You  ask  why  do  they  not  strike  out  the  polygamy  section 
from  'Doctrines  and  Covenants.'  The  answer  is:  For 
exactly  the  same  reason  that  we  can't  get  the  39  Articles 
out  of  the  Prayer  Book.  Ecclesiastical  societies  are  always 
most  conservative.  It  is  harder  to  change  church  law, 
church  ritual,  church  organization  than  any  other  social 
conventions." 

It  was  Bishop  Spalding's  conviction,  based  upon  wide 
observation,  that  within  the  Mormon  Church  a  leaven 
was  at  work.  The  Bible  was  displacing  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon in  the  daily  use  of  the  people.     The  idea  of  God  was 


1 68  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

being  spiritualized.  The  Mormon  Church  is  interested  in 
education  and  appropriated  from  its  treasury  for  Church 
Schools  in  Utah  $316,450  in  one  year.  The  desire  of  a 
young  man  to  study  in  an  Eastern  university  exempts  him 
from  going  on  a  mission.  While  it  is  true  that  many 
Mormons  who  are  graduated  from  Eastern  universities  re- 
main faithful  and  even  devote  their  talents  to  defending 
Church  doctrine  and  practice,  a  much  larger  number,  even 
though  they  remain  in  the  Church,  take  broader  views  of 
religion  and  let  their  light  shine.  One  of  the  ablest  teachers 
in  Utah  told  him  that  the  president  of  the  Eastern  univer- 
sity from  which  he  was  graduated  with  honors  advised  him 
to  remain  in  the  Mormon  Church  as  long  as  they  would 
let  him  stay.  He  told  him  that  was  the  best  way  to  play 
the  game.  For  the  modernist  within  the  Church,  Bishop 
Spalding  had  deep  sympathy,  and  held  that  in  the  public 
discussion  of  Mormonism  those  Mormon  reformers  should 

be  considered. 

To  His  Cousin 

Salt  Lake,  Nov.  13,  1908. 

I've  read  carefully  the  whole  of  the  Mormon  number  of  "The 
Home  Mission  Monthly"  and  I  thank  you  for  sending  it  to  me. 
I  do  not  want  to  criticise  it  harshly  for  I  know  the  men  and  women 
who  wrote  the  articles  are  dead  in  earnest  and  are  doing  a  great 
deal  of  good  and  yet  I  confess  I  do  not  approve  of  much  that 
they  say  or  of  the  way  in  which  they  say  it.  It  seems  to  me  the 
articles  show  a  tendency  to  select  the  worst  and  not  the  best  in 
Mormonism  and  judge  the  system  by  that.  Haven't  we  changed 
our  thought  with  reference  to  foreign  missions  and  oughtn't 
we  to-day  to  change  it  with  reference  to  Mormon  missions? 
When  we  were  little  we  were  taught  that  we  ought  to  send 
missionaries  to  China  and  India  and  Japan  because  the  people 
there  were  utterly  depraved  and  their  religion  the  work  and 
worship  of  devils,  now  we  deliberately  try  to  see  the  virtues  of 


MORMONISM  169 

the  heathen  and  like   St.  Paul   we  say,  "Whom  therefore  ye 
ignorantly  worship,  Him  declare  I  unto  you."     I  want  to  think 
and  act  that  way  to  the  Mormons.     I  know  just  what  the  temp- 
tation is  which  George  B.  Sweazy  yields  to  in  his  address,  and 
I  guess  in  my  speeches  I've  said  many  of  the  things  he  says,  but 
I  try  not  to  do  it  any  more  because  I  feel  surer  and  surer  as  I 
go  about  Utah  and  meet  the  people  that  they  no  longer  believe 
many  of  the  things  he  says  they  believe.     I  refer  to  the  state- 
ment that  Jesus  practised  polygamy  and  Mary  and  Martha  were 
his  wives.     It  is  awful  to  think  that  such  a  statement  was  ever 
made  and  that  some  people  still  hold  it,  but  surely  it  is  a  cause 
for  thankfulness  that  many  people  in  Utah  have  deliberately 
rejected  it.     In  his  book  "Scientific  Aspects  of  Mormonism," 
Prof.  Nelson,  a  good  Mormon,  says  "Let  me  disclaim  any  in- 
tention of  arraigning  ministers  of  the  gospel  in  general,  save  as 
they  resemble  those  in  Utah.     These  latter  have  declared  war  on 
us  and  are  therefore  legitimate  targets  for  counter  attack.     Un- 
able to  agree  among  themselves  on  tenet  and  doctrine,  they 
have  yet  found,  deep  in  their  spiritual  bosoms,  a  common  bond 
of  union,  hatred  of  the  Mormons."     It  ought  not  to  be  possible 
for  any  Mormon  to  write  that,  and  yet  it  has  been  in  the  past 
nearly  true,   though  the  Episcopalians  and  Roman  Catholics 
have  not  been  as  extreme  as  others  in  their  denunciations.     The 
"Monthly"  is  not  consistent  for  on  page  299  I  read  "Many  of 
the  more  obnoxious  beliefs,  though  held  by  the  initiated,  are 
not  taught  openly,  for  the  young  people  would  not  accept  them. 
The  Adam  God  theory  for  example,  the  young  people  know  noth- 
ing of  and  yet  it  is  one  of  the  foundation  principles  of  their  re- 
ligion."    Now  I'd  rather  magnify  the  process  of  giving  up,  than 
the  process  of  holding  on  to  the  old  ideas.     To  charge  the  present 
Mormon  with  all  that  Smith  and  Young  taught  is  almost  as 
bad  as  charging  the  Presbyterian  Church  with  all  that  Edwards 
preached. 

As  to  the  advantages  of  Church  Schools,  we  have  given  ours 
up  except  Rowland  Hall  and  though  I  suppose  if  we  still  had 
them  I  would  find  many  proofs  of  their  usefulness,  not  having 


iyO  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

them  I  find  some  good  arguments  for  their  discontinuance. 
Last  night  I  had  dinner  with  Dr.  Buxton,  the  "Christian"  min- 
ister. His  wife  was  a  Mormon  girl  who  was  educated  in  the 
Presbyterian  school  at  Mount  Pleasant.  Now  I  know  if  we  had 
such  a  result  I'd  boast  a  great  deal  about  it,  and  yet  I  believe  in 
the  public  schools.  The  paper  you  sent  me  admits  that,  as 
State  schools,  the  Utah  schools  rank  high  and  I  am  inclined  to 
think  that  it  is  better  that  the  children  of  the  Gentiles,  who 
make  up  the  majority  in  the  Church  schools,  should  have  to  at- 
tend the  public  schools,  for  then  their  parents  are  interested  in 
the  public  schools,  take  offices  on  school  boards  and  prevent  the 
Mormons  from  having  a  free  hand.  And  besides  this,  follow- 
ing the  example  of  your  Church,  the  Mormon  Church  is  building 
up  Mormon  schools  and  colleges.  They  have  more  money  than 
you  have,  and  they  are  beating  you  at  your  own  game.  At 
Logan,  for  example,  the  New  Jersey  Academy  hasn't,  I  suppose 
over  one  hundred  pupils  but  the  Brigham  Young  college  has 
seven  hundred  and  fifty.  At  Springville,  the  Hungerford  Acad- 
emy has  not  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  but  six  miles  away  the 
Brigham  Young  University  has  one  thousand.  Isn't  it  better 
that  the  State  Institutions,  Public  Schools,  County  High  Schools 
and  State  University,  should  be  strong  and  attractive  than  that 
the  Mormons  should,  like  the  Roman  Catholics,  develop  their 
own  educational  system  where  they  teach  their  doctrines  and 
train  their  preachers? 

In  Utah  and  elsewhere  are  men  who  regard  Mormonism 
with  an  easy-going  tolerance.  What  difference  does  it 
make  what  the  Mormons  believe?  Bishop  Spalding  was 
once  asked  by  a  visiting  banker.  "What  harm  does  it  do? 
If  they  love  Joseph  Smith  and  his  teaching,  what  business 
is  it  of  ours?"  "Well,"  he  replied,  "I  must  feel  about 
their  acceptance  and  teaching  of  what  is  intellectually  and 
morally  untrue,  just  as  I  suppose  you  would  feel  if  you 
knew  a  group  of  people  were  coining  and  passing  counterfeit 


MORMONISM  171 

money."  The  man  thought  a  minute  and  then  admitted,  "  I 
guess  you  are  right,  the  counterfeit  might  pass  for  a  time, 
but  there  would  be  a  bad  financial  smash-up  in  the  end." 

With  a  view  to  revealing  the  Mormons  to  themselves 
and  to  giving  to  them  the  real  meaning  of  their  religion  the 
Bishop  and  his  associates  prepared  several  tracts.  His 
own  contribution  bore  the  title,  "Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  as  a 
Translator."  It  was  the  first  attempt  ever  made  to  apply 
the  methods  of  modern  Biblical  criticism  to  the  Mormon 
sacred  books.  According  to  his  own  story,  Joseph  Smith, 
Jr.,  found  the  Book  of  Mormon  near  Palmyra,  New  York. 
It  was  written  on  gold  plates,  and  lay  hidden  in  a  box  buried 
in  the  ground.  Deposited  with  the  plates  were  two  crys- 
tals, called  Urim  and  Thummim,  by  means  of  which  the  dis- 
coverer was  able  to  translate  the  Egyptian  characters  in 
which  the  book  had  been  written.  The  question  which 
Spalding  asked  concerned  the  accuracy  of  Smith's  trans- 
lation. Joseph  Smith's  competency  as  a  translator  of 
ancient  Egyptian  was  of  course  subject  to  proof.  If,  in  the 
judgment  of  Egyptologists  of  repute,  Smith  had  made  a 
correct  translation  of  the  text. 

Unfortunately  for  purposes  of  scientific  verification, 
the  original  records  were  kept  by  the  heavenly  messenger 
who  delivered  them  to  the  Prophet.  There  was  in  exist- 
ence, however,  the  original  text  of  another  revelation, 
accepted  by  the  Mormons  as  also  divine,  which  the  Prophet 
had  translated.  This  document  is  the  Book  of  Abraham, 
which  had  been  purchased  by  Joseph  Smith's  friends  from 
a  French  trader  and  explorer  who  had  found  it  in  a  tomb 
near  the  site  of  ancient  Thebes.  The  Prophet  published 
a  complete  translation  of  the  Book  of  Abraham,  together 
with  the  facsimile,  in  1842.  Bishop  Spalding  found  in  this 
translation  the  test  he  needed  of  Joseph  Smith's  accuracy" 


172  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

as  a  translator.  "If,"  he  wrote,  "in  the  judgment  of 
competent  scholars,  this  translation  is  correct,  then  the 
probabilities  are  all  in  favor  of  the  correctness  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon.  If,  however,  the  translation  of  the  Book  of 
Abraham  is  incorrect,  then  no  thoughtful  man  can  be 
asked  to  accept  the  Book  of  Mormon,  but  on  the  other 
hand  honesty  will  require  him,  with  whatever  personal 
regret,  to  repudiate  it  and  the  whole  body  of  belief  which 
has  been  built  upon  it  and  upon  the  reputation  its  publica- 
tion gave  to  its  author." 

The  translation  and  the  facsimile  were  sent  by  Bishop 
Spalding  to  Dr.  A.  H.  Sayce  of  Oxford,  Dr.  W.  M.  Flinders 
Petrie  of  London  University,  Dr.  James  H.  Breasted  of  the 
University  of  Chicago,  Dr.  Arthur  C.  Mace  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Egyptian  Art  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of 
New  York,  Dr.  John  P.  Peters  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Dr.  Edward  Meyer  of  the  University  of  Berlin, 
Dr.  Frederick  Von  Bissing  of  the  University  of  Munich, 
and  Professor  C.  A.  B.  Mercer,  Custodian  Hibbard  Col- 
lection, Egyptian  Reproductions  in  Chicago.  These  lead- 
ing Egyptologists  of  the  world,  each  giving  his  judgment 
without  knowledge  of  the  other,  were  in  practically  com- 
plete agreement  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  hieroglyphics, 
and  the  meaning  was  altogether  different  from  that  of  Joseph 
Smith's  translation.  Joseph  Smith  had  attributed  to 
Abraham  a  series  of  documents  which  was  the  common 
property  of  a  whole  nation  of  people  who  employed  them 
in  every  human  burial  which  they  prepared.  The  fac- 
similes were  part  of  the  usual  equipment  of  the  dead  in  the 
later  period  of  Egyptian  civilization  before  the  Christian 
era.  Joseph  Smith's  "translation"  has  no  connection 
whatever  with  the  decipherment  of  hieroglyphics  by  scholars. 
"The  Book  of  Abraham,"  wrote  Dr.  Mace,  "  is  a  pure  fabri- 


MORMONISM  173 

cation.  Five  minutes'  study  in  an  Egyptian  gallery  of  any 
museum  should  be  enough  to  convince  any  educated  man 
of  the  clumsiness  of  the  imposture."  " Joseph  Smith," 
wrote  Dr.  Breasted,  "  represents  as  portions  of  a  unique 
revelation  through  Abraham  things  which  were  common- 
places and  to  be  found  by  many  thousands  in  the  every  day 
life  of  the  Egyptians."  "A  careful  study,"  wrote  Dr. 
Von  Bissing,  "has  convinced  me  that  Smith  probably 
seriously  believed  himself  to  have  deciphered  the  ancient 
hieroglyphics,  but  that  he  utterly  failed." 

Bishop  Spalding  sent  complimentary  copies  of  his  pam- 
phlet to  all  the  higher  officials  in  the  Mormon  Church,  to 
all  the  professors  in  Utah  colleges  and  to  the  teachers  in  the 
Church  and  State  High  Schools.  The  manager  of  the 
Deseret  Book  Store  (Mormon)  asked  for  copies  and  sold 
nearly  two  hundred,  which  was  a  larger  number  than  were 
sold  in  the  Gentile  store  where  the  pamphlet  was  also  placed 
on  sale.  He  was  encouraged  by  the  reception  of  the  pam- 
phlet, although  many  Gentile  friends  insisted  that  this  very 
reception  was  evidence  of  the  futility  of  that  type  of  criti- 
cism. The  argument  was  read  by  many  Mormons  and  over 
forty  replies  were  printed  in  their  publications.  The  an- 
swers dodged  the  real  issue  or  confused  the  question.  Bishop 
Spalding  read  them  all  with  deep  interest,  and,  instead  of 
giving  up  faith  in  the  methods  of  persuasion,  declared  that 
the  method  used  by  the  Latter  Day  Saints  in  repelling  his 
criticism  of  the  supernormal  wisdom  of  Joseph  Smith,  Jr., 
was  the  same  method  used  by  nine-tenths  of  the  defenders 
of  other  religions.  "The  same  kind  of  special  pleading 
and  suppression  of  unwelcome  facts  have  been  used  repeat- 
edly by  believers  in  verbal  inspiration  in  reply  to  the  argu- 
ments of  higher  critics,  by  Roman  Catholics  in  defending 
the  infallibility  of  the  Pope,  by  most  religionists  in  main- 


174  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

taining  the  transcendent  importance  of  their  own  special 

theological  emphasis.     Theological  beliefs,  once  they  are 

embodied  into  creedal  statements,  and  accepted  by  groups 

of  men  change  very  slowly.     Enough  time  must  elapse  to 

enable  the  new  truth  to  work  its  way  into  the  minds  of  all 

who  hold  the  old  truth.     Nobody  accepts  any  truth  until 

he  thinks  he  thought  of  it  himself." 

March  14,  1909. 

I  gave  a  Mormon  my  article  to  read  and  asked  him  to  tell 
me  if  he  thought  I  was  fair.  I  feel  quite  pleased  and  being 
blessed  by  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood  is  quite  uplifting. 

On  the  principle  that  "he  who  has  the  youth  has  the 
nation,"  the  Bishop,  in  seeking  to  reach  the  Mormons,  chose 
to  establish  missions  first  in  the  two  college  towns  of  Provo 
and  Logan.  Provo  is  the  seat  of  the  largest  school  and 
college  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints,  called  The  Brigham 
Young  University.  In  Logan  are  the  State  Agricultural 
College  and  the  Brigham  Young  College.  He  raised  $5200 
to  build  in  Provo  a  church  and  rectory,  and  $14,000  for  a 
church  house  in  Logan.  Into  Logan  he  sent  two  young 
men,  whom  he  had  inspired  by  his  words  in  the  East  to 
offer  themselves  for  work  in  Utah.  There  they  lived  on 
terms  of  genuine  friendship  with  the  Mormon  people,  draw- 
ing about  them  by  means  of  club,  gymnasium  and  classes, 
other  young  men.  On  Sundays  they  preached  Christian 
sympathy  and  were  able  to  draw  encouraging  congregations 
of  young  Latter  Day  Saints  to  listen  to  them.  Their  audi- 
ence usually  consisted  of  Mormons,  the  proportion  at  times 
being  about  thirty  of  those  to  one  Church  member. 

Oct.  13,  1906. 

Jones  "and  Johnston  are  doing  splendidly.  They  are  very 
happy  and  the  people  all  like  them.     They  gave  me  a  reception 


MORMONISM  175 

in  the  rectory ;  at  least  one  hundred  people  were  out,  and  we  had 
a  grand  time.  They  are  encouraged  and  I  really  believe  will  do 
a  lot  of  good.  I  think  they  appreciate  that  it  is  to  be  slow  hard 
work,  but  they  see  the  need  and  are  full  of  enthusiasm  and  they 
propose,  too,  to  get  other  men  from  Cambridge.  It  is  wonderful 
what  an  impression  they  have  made  on  the  town.  It's  the  first 
time  really  well  educated  gentlemen  have  been  sent  there.  I'm 
hoping  great  things  for  Logan. 

To  the  'Spirit  of  Missions'  for  October,  191 2,  Bishop 
Spalding  contributed  an  article  under  the  suggestive  cap- 
tion "Making  New  Friends."  In  it  he  told  in  detail  the 
story  of  his  reception  in  the  Mormon  tabernacle  at  Cedar 
City,  Utah.  "There,"  he  says,  "Bishop  Metheson,  one  of 
seven  hundred  others  who  share  with  me,  in  Mormon  land, 
the  title  of  bishop  —  did  a  good  deal  more  for  me  than  I 
would  have  done  for  him  had  he  visited  me  in  Salt  Lake." 
He  had  gone  to  Cedar  City  to  preach  the  baccalaureate  ser- 
mon at  the  South  Utah  Branch  of  the  Utah  Normal  School, 
and  was  introduced  by  its  President  to  Bishop  Metheson. 
The  Bishop  invited  Spalding  to  attend  the  Sunday  School 
in  the  tabernacle  and  address  the  Parents'  Class  on  any 
subject  he  might  select.  In  the  Mormon  Church  parents 
as  well  as  children  are  expected  to  attend  the  Sunday 
Schools.  The  leader  told  him  that  they  had  been  discussing 
"Home  Sanitation,"  "Home  Decoration"  and  kindred 
topics.  "Being  unmarried  and,  therefore,  able  to  preach 
what  I  did  not  have  to  practice,  I  spoke  on  '  The  way  to  bring 
up  children.'"  The  Bishop  later  turned  the  assembly 
over  to  Spalding  and  gave  him  permission  to  conduct  the 
service  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  The  deacons  distrib- 
uted the  evening  service  books  and  the  choir  led  the  music, 
singing  "Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee,"  "Jesus,  Lover  of  my 
Soul,"  "Abide  with  Me,"  "Rock  of  Ages,"  —  hymns  found 


176  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

in  their  book  as  well  as  in  Bishop  Spalding's.  He  preached 
a  sermon  on  the  difference  between  true  religion  and  super- 
stition, and  declared  that  he  never  had  a  more  considerate 
and  more  attentive  congregation.  At  night  the  building 
was  again  crowded,  many  standing.  Again  Bishop  Spald- 
ing preached,  one  Mormon  bishop  making  the  opening 
prayer  and  the  other  one  pronouncing  the  benediction. 

In  those  missions,  by  means  of  the  words  and  deeds  of 
Bishop  Spalding,  the  Church  worked  deliberately,  patiently, 
kindly,  for  the  enlightenment  and  conversion,  not  simply  of 
Mormons,  but  of  Mormonism,  and  received  a  sympathetic 
hearing  from  those  it  desired  to  help.  The  duty  of  the 
Church  in  the  college  town,  as  he  conceived  it,  was  first 
to  help  the  young  people  in  their  own  personal  lives  by 
giving  them  a  Christian  home  while  they  were  studying ; 
second,  to  strengthen  the  process  of  reform  within  the 
Mormon  Church;  third,  to  welcome  to  the  true  Church 
those  who  would  come.  Statistics  of  increased  church  mem- 
bership, he  held,  are  no  test  of  the  value  of  the  work  done 
and  the  money  spent.  Local  self-support  was  not  to  be 
expected  for  a  long  time.  The  reaction  from  tithe  paying 
results  in  a  lack  of  generosity  on  the  part  of  those  Mor- 
mons who  become  members  of  our  churches,  and  of  course 
those  whom  they  hope  to  reach  indirectly  cannot  be  ex- 
pected to  contribute.  The  work  was  especially  difficult 
because  the  Mormon  Church  was  financially  able  to  expend 
vast  sums  of  money  on  schools,  hospitals  and  meeting 
houses,  and  consequently  much  money  had  to  be  given  to 
make  the  equipment  of  other  churches  dignified  and  attrac- 
tive. Small,  shabby  churches  made  a  poor  impression, 
especially  in  the  West  where  appearances  count  for  a  good 
deal.  His  aim  was  to  reach  not  the  ignorant,  religious 
fanatics  of  the  last  generation  but  young  men  and  women, 


MORMONISM  177 

who  have  been  educated  in  Eastern  and  Western  universities 
and  who  are  tempted  to  repudiate  organized  religion  alto- 
gether or  to  sell  their  souls  for  the  temporal  advantage  the 
Mormon  Church  offers.  These  men,  said  Bishop  Spalding, 
were  the  intellectual  superiors  of  some  of  the  missionaries 
the  various  Boards  thought  strong  enough  for  work  in  Utah. 
If  the  churches  could  put  fifty  first-rate  men  in  Utah  and 
keep  them  there  for  ten  years,  he  believed  they  would  have 
a  far-reaching  influence. 


N 


XIII 

Begging  East  and  West 

When  Frank  Spalding  first  visited  the  Missions  House  in 
New  York  after  accepting  his  election  as  bishop,  he  had 
what  he  described  as  a  "terribly  discouraging  talk  with 
Dr.  Lloyd  which  makes  me  almost  rebellious.  He  says  that 
money  getting  must  be  my  chief  business,  and  that  there 
is  no  other  way.  He  doesn't  think  that  making  speeches, 
etc.,  is  likely  to  do  much  good.  It  must  be  a  still  hunt. 
Both  Bishop  Leonard  and  Bishop  Ingalls,  according  to 
him,  died  because  the  Church  deserted  them,  and  that  I 
must  learn  to  take  things  easy  and  be  light  hearted  about 
it  and  not  try  to  do  more  than  I  can  do."  As  he  became 
familiar  with  the  District  he  found  that  however  much  he 
desired  to  shepherd  men  and  be  a  house-to-house  and  town- 
to-town  evangelist,  he  was  expected  to  be  a  financial  agent. 
The  appropriation  for  Utah  from  the  Board  of  Missions 
was  $3000.  That  was  just  half  of  what  was  needed  for 
salaries  alone.  Then  there  was  the  huge  debt  on  St.  Mark's 
Hospital,  and  the  imperative  needs  of  new  buildings  for 
hospital  and  school  in  Salt  Lake,  and  churches  and  rec- 
tories elsewhere.  The  Church  at  large,  no  less  than  the 
people  of  the  District,  put  this  immense  burden  upon  the 
shoulders  of  the  missionary  bishop. 

In  the  summer  and  fall  of  his  first  year  he  confined  his 
financial  efforts  to  Salt  Lake.  In  December,  1905,  he 
went  East. 

178 


BEGGING   EAST  AND   WEST  179 

To  His  Mother 

Cleveland,  Nov.  27,  1905. 
I  enclose  a  list  of  clergymen  who  ought  to  let  me  preach  in 
their  churches.     What  a  dreadful  job  it  will  be. 

Just  a  moment  to  tell  you  that  the  first  Sunday  went  fairly 
well.  Good  big  congregations  at  Trinity  and  fair  one  at  St. 
Paul's.  The  offering  at  Trinity  was  the  regular  one  for  Domestic 
Missions  so  I  can  only  hope  for  the  specials,  though  I  helped, 
perhaps,  the  general  cause.     At  St.  Paul's  they  gave  the  whole 

collection  to  me. 

New  York,  Dec.  1,  1905. 

Mr.  McBee  bragged  so  much  about  the  fearlessness  of  the 
Churchman  that  I  gave  him  my  Sunday  article.  He  said  it 
was  remarkably  outspoken  for  a  bishop  and  that  he  would  pub- 
lish it  if  I  wished,  etc.  And  then  after  all  his  bluster  about 
being  fearless  and  abreast  of  the  times,  etc.  he  proceeded  to  say 
just  about  the  same  things  you  said  yourself,  and  my  dear 
mother,  though  you  are  about  the  dearest  and  best  thing  in  the 
world,  I  don't  think  you  are  very  fearless  theologically  nor  very 
far  ahead  of  the  times.  Don't  worry  about  me  for  I'm  getting 
along  pretty  well  and  it's  a  great  thing  to  see  one's  way  clear,  and 
at  least  I've  done  the  right  thing.  I  am  clear  in  my  own  mind 
now  that  I  ought  not  to  look  for  gleams  of  hope  but  rather  to 
learn  to  walk  in  the  darkness.  Mrs.  Leonard  thanks  the  Lord 
at  great  length  that  I  am  not  married  and  says  no  married  man 
should  be  sent  to  such  a  work. 

Exeter,  N.  H.,  Dec.  3. 

The  church  was  well  filled  at  ten,  more  than  half  of  them  boys. 
In  the  afternoon  I  spoke  at  the  chapel  exercises  of  the  Academy, 
I  talked  to  them  about  becoming  clergymen.  There  are  nearly 
400  boys. 

After  the  service  three  sisters  who  didn't  want  their  names 
given  came  up  and  said  they  would  give  me  $500. ! ! !  and  that 
night  sent  it  around.  That's  my  first  big  strike  and  I'm  as 
happy  and  proud  as  a  turkey  cock. 


l8o  FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 

The  people  who  gave  the  $500  were  very  poor  when  an 
old  lover  of  the  mother  died  and  left  her  children  a  million 
dollars. 

Bridgeport,  Dec.  8. 

I  came  down  with  a  Cambridge  Seminary  man,  a  fine  fellow, 
and  I  had  a  good  talk  with  him.  He  had  a  lot  of  doubts  and 
troubles  and  he  said  I  helped  straighten  him  out.  If  as  big  a 
heretic  as  I  could  be  a  bishop  he  was  able  to  feel  that  he  could 
be  a  priest. 

There  was  a  good  sized  meeting  at  two,  and  I  told  my  story  with 
all  my  might  and  found  that  Connecticut  has  pledged  $500  to 
St.  Mark's,  so  got  about  $1200  for  two  weeks  work.  Though  at 
that  rate  it  will  take  a  good  long  time  to  make  $40,000.  I  said 
that  since  the  miners  of  the  West  had  sent  so  much  money  East, 
the  East  should  pay  it  back.  And  who  should  catch  up  with 
me  and  drive  me  to  the  station  but  a  woman  who  said  her  hus- 
band had  owned  the  famous mine  in  Georgetown. 

Boston,  Sunday,  Dec.  n. 

I  have  had  a  great  day.  I  feel  as  if  I  were  standing  in  the 
shoes  of  the  great  men  of  old.  At  St.  Stephen's  this  a.m.  one 
woman  whom  Mr.  Bishop  says  always  gives  $100  promised  to 
remember  me.  But  it  takes  a  long  time  for  $ioo's  to  make 
$40,000.  Then  this  afternoon  think  of  standing  in  Phillips 
Brooks'  pulpit !  The  last  time  I  heard  any  one  preach  there 
he  did  it.  I  was  considerably  scared  and  did  some  hard  praying 
during  the  hymn  before.  Dr.  Mann  said  it  was  all  right  and 
next  time  he  would  give  me  a  chance  in  the  morning.  There  is 
plenty  to'Mo  and  the  magnitude  of  my  work  ought  to  comfort 
my  soul,  when  the  work  includes  the  whole  East  as  well  as  the 
District  of  Salt  Lake. 

At  Worcester  there  was  a  small  congregation  in  the  big,  big 
church.  I  got  no  money  as  far  as  I  can  tell  and  Davies  said 
nothing  to  me  about  it.  He  told  me  that  John  Wood  made  such 
a  schedule  for  Bishop  Rowe  that  he  was  glad  to  get  back  to 


BEGGING  EAST  AND   WEST  l8l 

Alaska  and  on  the  long  snowy  journeys  to  rest.  It  seems  to 
be  quite  the  fad  to  have  autographs  of  bishops  and  I've  had  to 
sign  several. 

Providence,  Dec.  15. 

I  didn't  have  time  to  write  in  New  York  for  the  day  was  so 
full.  Dr.  Huntington  said  over  the  'phone  that  he  could  see  me 
and  I  rushed  up  there.  He  was  very  polite,  said  he  "would  bear 
it  in  mind,"  etc.  but  didn't  ask  me  to  preach  in  Grace  Church. 
Then  I  went  to  Brooklyn  and  had  a  fine  meeting  of  the  Auxiliary 
to  talk  to.  Then  we  went  to  see  Rev.  Mr.  Melish  of  Holy  Trinity 
and  he  promised  "to  bear  me  in  mind."  Dr.  Grosvenor  has 
invited  me  to  preach  in  the  Incarnation  which  is  a  fine  church, 
one  of  the  best  in  N.  Y.  for  giving. 

Bishop  McVickar  is  much  interested  in  missions  in  Salt  Lake 
and  it  was  through  him  that  $2500  has  been  added  to  the  Leonard 
Memorial  fund,  making  it  now  nearly  $10,000. 

Erie,  Dec.  23. 
I  have  been  to  call  on  the  old,  sick  and  afflicted,  and  it's  a  big 
job,  and  then  every  one  wants  to  entertain  me.     I  am  a  little 
disappointed  for  I  hoped  to  get  a  rest  here  and  I've  been  driven 
every  second. 

P.  R.  R.  Jan.  3,  1906. 
After  a  visit  to  the  Indian  Commissioner  in  the  interest  of  our 
Indian  work  I  spoke  at  St.  John's.  They  say  my  addresses  are 
interesting,  etc.  and  I  do  hope  I'll  get  some  money.  The  only 
trouble  is  that  the  W.  A.  seem  to  be  made  up  mostly  of  the 
widows  and  daughters  of  godly  persons  whose  treasure  is  all  in 
heaven. 

New  York,  Jan.  3. 
I  couldn't  accept  Miss  Emery's  invitation  because  I  had  an 
engagement  with  a  Cambridge  student  who  is  thinking  of  coming 
out  to  help  us  in  Utah,  —  D.  K.  Johnston,  a  Yale  man.  He 
says  I  stirred  up  Cambridge  a  lot  and  four  other  men  are  think- 
ing of  coming  out.     What  shall  I  do  to  pay  them? 


1 82  FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 

Jan.  4. 

I  am  afraid  I'm  getting  along  very  slowly  with  money  getting. 
Perhaps  Philadelphia  will  do  better  for  me,  I  confess  I  like  the 
whole  business  less  and  less. 

I'm  to  appear  before  the  Board  on  Tuesday  and  give  evidence 
as  to  the  way  "specials"  are  raised  and  whether  it  wouldn't  be 
better  to  have  all  the  "specials"  go  to  the  Board  and  let  them 
give  what  I  need  and  stay  in  Utah  and  use  it.  Mr.  Thomas  has 
cheered  me  a  lot,  not  that  I  was  down-hearted,  only  that  I  have 
not  been  getting  along  very  fast  towards  the  $40,000. 

Phila.  Jan.  7. 

I  must  send  you  a  line  to  tell  you  about  the  perfectly  splendid 
meeting  last  night  at  Miss  Coles.  There  was  over  a  hundred 
there  and  all  the  rich  folk  in  Phila.  Thomas  (Rev.  N.)  intro- 
duced me  and  then  I  actually  talked  over  an  hour  and  nobody 
went  to  sleep.  Thomas  said  I  made  a  good  speech,  which  I'm 
glad  of,  for  they  were  all  your  friends  and  father's  and  I  wouldn't 
like  to  disgrace  my  birth  and  bringing  up.  Last  night  Thomas 
said  he  thought  I'd  get  $5,000  out  of  the  meeting  but  this  morn- 
ing he  has  come  down  to  two.  Never  a  bishop  had  such  a  send 
off,  they  say. 

Jan.  8. 

I  had  a  grand  busy  day  yesterday.  Dr.  Tompkins  strained 
a  point  or  two,  I  thought,  when  he  said,  that  he  "accounted  it 
a  blessed  privilege"  or  something  like  that  to  have  me  speak 
to  his  people.  I  preached  to  a  big  crowd  in  St.  James'  in  the 
morning  and  the  minister  in  charge  said  that  it  was  the  best 
missionary  address  he  ever  heard.  That  sounds  fine,  doesn't 
it?  The  only  trouble  is  that  at  night  Mr.  M.  who  spoke  with  me 
at  St.  Peter's,  told  me  that  when  he  had  spoken  at  St.  James', 
the  minister  had  told  him  it  was  the  best  presentation  of  the 
missionary  cause  he  had  ever  heard.  And  M.  isn't  exciting  to 
my  thinking. 


BEGGING  EAST  AND   WEST  1 83 

New  Yore,  Jan.  8. 

Just  think,  I've  got  $4500  all  in  one  day.  I  honestly  think 
there  is  $10,000  in  sight.  I'm  so  happy  and  grateful  I  don't 
know  what  to  do.  It  makes  me  see  how  small  and  selfish  my 
own  hopes  of  happiness  are  for  this  joy  is  perhaps  even  greater. 
I  guess  the  Lord  knows  what  he  is  about  for  I  haven't  time  to 
be  anybody's  husband. 

Jan.  10. 

My  Philadelphia  total  is  $6100.     Isn't  it  splendid ! 

I  gave  my  testimony  to  the  Committee  as  to  the  bad  effect 
of  specials,  etc.  and  how  much  better  it  would  be  to  have  it  all 
one  in  the  form  of  a  big  appropriation  from  the  Board.  And 
Dr.  Lloyd  told  me  afterward  that  I  cracked  the  shell  and  he  was 
grateful  to  me. 

Isn't  it  perfectly  splendid  that  I  have  over  $8,000.  This 
pays  at  least  the  floating  debt.  Then  Holy  Trinity,  Brooklyn, 
has  guaranteed  $200.  a  year  on  our  interest.  I  don't  know  when 
I  am  going  to  get  time  to  answer  all  the  notes  and  gifts,  for  every 
moment  seems  full.  To-day  I  am  at  the  Philadelphia  Divinity 
School  at  12,  Dr.  Bodine  at  3  and  at  Jenkintown  at  night. 

Jan.  12. 

Mr.  G.  C.  Thomas  has  given  me  $5000  for  the  Leonard  Memo- 
rial to  complete  it.  He  has  promised  the  last  $5000  if  I  can  raise 
the  rest  and  any  way  has  pledged  $500  a  year  toward  the  interest. 
"Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow  !"  Now  I  must  work 
as  I  never  dreamed  of  working  before  because  $25,000  will  pay 
the  whole  hospital  debt.  And  you  must  pray  even  harder  than 
ever. 

Washington,  Jan.  16. 

I  must  go  back  to  Sunday  morning  and  tell  you  all  my  ad- 
ventures, as  I  haven't  had  a  chance  to  write  a  decent  letter. 

There  are  two  assistants  at  and  they  called  during  the 

evening.     One  of  them,  a  dapper  little  man,  asked  me  if  I  would 
like  to  celebrate  at  the  7  a.m.  service  in  the  morning,  and  I 


184  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

said  I  would  though  I  feared  I  might  not  do  it  right  for  St.  S. 
is  very  high.  He  said  the  only  requirement  was  that  I  must 
wear  the  vestments  and  take  the  eastward  position.  It  did 
seem  a  little  odd  that  the  clothing  all  the  bishops  are  using 
wasn't  appropriate  in  that  church,  but  I  thought  if  he  made  a 
point  of  clothes  I  wouldn't  get  down  to  his  level,  and  so  I  said 
O.K.,  and  the  next  morning  he  dressed  me  in  alb  and  chasuble, 
a  most  elegant  green  thing  with  embroidery.  I  hope  I  didn't 
shock  the  few  worshipers  who  came  out  in  the  early  wet  and 
slippery  morning.  At  the  n  o'clock  high  celebration  when  I 
preached,  a  curate  did  it  with  wonderful  mumbling  and  bowings. 

In  the  afternoon  I  addressed  the  Sunday  School  of  Holy 
Apostles  —  the  most  wonderful  S.S.  I  ever  saw.  Just  as  many 
boys  as  girls  and  men  as  women,  1500  of  them  and  in  a  beautiful 
building.  It  was  missionary  Sunday.  Mr.  George  C.  Thomas 
said  he  was  coming  that  night  in  his  official  capacity  as  treasurer 
of  the  Board  to  inspect  the  new  bishop.  I  preached  with  all 
my  might.  He  seemed  to  be  satisfied,  and  after  service  we  went 
to  his  home.  I  never  got  into  such  a  wonderful  place.  Among 
the  pictures  is  a  Millet,  a  Turner,  and  what  is  considered  the 
finest  Jules  Breton.  But  you  know  about  such  things  far  more 
than  I  do.  Among  the  books,  The  First  Prayer  Book  of  Ed- 
ward, a  Sarum  Missal,  a  copy  of  Elliott's  Indian  Bible,  the 
original  mss.  of  'O,  Little  Town  of  Bethlehem,'  the  original 
telegram  of  U.  S.  Grant  to  the  War  Department  announcing 
the  surrender  of  Lee. 

I  was  up  at  six  and  off  to  Washington.  Senator  Guildham 
met  me  where  we  had  an  appointment  and  we  went  to  the  White 
House.  Roosevelt  was  there  and  after  speaking  to  those  ahead 
of  us  I  was  introduced.  We  had  quite  a  little  talk  about  foot- 
ball reform,  and  he  said  he  agreed  largely  with  me. 

Wilmington,  Jan.  16. 

I  spent  the  day  at  the  Alexandria  Seminary.  They  seemed  to 
me  about  the  best  set  of  men  I've  seen.     I  talked  with  them 


BEGGING   EAST  AND   WEST  185 

and  put  the  Dean  easy  as  to  his  fears  that  I  am  a  ritualist.     I  am 
having  a  fine  visit  with  Kirkus  and  a  good  meeting  to  speak  to. 

Phila.  Jan.  18. 

I  find  I  have  about  $12,000  and  a  promise  of  the  last  $500  and 
in  addition  I  have  promised,  if  the  whole  debt  can  not  be  paid, 
$1200  a  year  interest ! 

On  Friday  I  made  an  address  in  a  parlor  meeting  in  Newark. 
Bishop  Lines  was  there.  I  like  Bishop  Lines.  The  women  seemed 
interested  in  the  story  of  Utah.  There  is  a  temptation  to  tell 
the  old  stories  but  I'm  trying  to  be  just  as  accurate  as  possible. 

In  the  afternoon  I  went  to  Princeton.  At  the  station  a  porter 
met  me  and  said  he  had  orders  to  bring  me  to  the  President's 
house.  I  called  Woodrow  on  the  'phone  and  explained  that  I 
was  going  to  Mr.  Reid's  for  the  night  and  to  General  Woodhull 
for  dinner,  and  he  said  he  was  sorry,  that  he  had  telegraphed  me 
at  Salt  Lake  inviting  me  to  be  his  guest,  etc.  In  the  a.m.  Mrs. 
Reid  and  I  went  to  7.30  church,  and  when  I  reached  home  there 
was  a  nice  note  inviting  us  to  dinner  at  the  Wilsons.  We  ac- 
cepted and  had  a  fine,  nice,  simple  family  dinner. 

Well,  President  W.  came  down  to  Mrs.  Reid's  early  to  walk 
with  me  to  chapel.  He  is  just  as  fine  and  simple  as  possible. 
I  wore  a  gown  to  preach  in ;  that  seemed  to  be  the  custom  of 
the  place.  I  was  a  little  frightened  till  I  got  going  but  then  it 
was  all  right  and  I  delivered  my  message  for  all  I  was  worth, 
the  subject  being  the  future  of  college  men  as  moral  and  church 
leaders.  After  it  was  over  President  Wilson  said,  "You  could 
feel  that  they  listened  to  you,  couldn't  you,  and  they  don't  do 
that  unless  they  want  to." 

New  York,  Jan.  22. 
I  think  I  have  caught  up  with  my  mail,  for  this  is  the  sixteenth 
letter  I've  written  at  this  sitting.  I  find  I  must  stay  in  New 
York  a  week  longer  for  after  I'd  made  my  speech  to  the  St. 
Thomas'  Auxiliary,  Dr.  Stires  invited  me  to  lunch  and  asked  me 
to  preach  in  St.  Thomas'  in  the  morning.     He  said  it  was  the 


1 86  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

first  time  in  three  years  he'd  asked  a  missionary  bishop !  And 
Dr.  Lloyd  says  I  must  do  it.  Dr.  Mottet  is  giving  me  letters  of 
introduction.  He  told  me  he  had  gone  into  a  man's  house  and 
sat  down  and  said  he  would  not  go  till  he  gave  him  some  money. 
I  can't  do  that. 

I  am  going  to  Cleveland,  the  consecration  of  Dean  Williams, 
as  I  have  been  appointed  one  of  the  presenters.  It  will  have  to 
be  a  quick  trip  but  they  seem  to  think  at  the  Missions  House  I 
better  do  it. 

Spalding  went  to  Cleveland  and  presented  his  friend  and 
fellow  radical,  the  large-minded,  big-hearted  and  fearless 
Charles  D.  Williams,  for  consecration  as  bishop  of  Michi- 
gan. When  the  bishops  present  assembled  after  the  ser- 
vice to  stamp  the  official  document  of  consecration  with 
their  episcopal  rings,  Spalding  came  forward  and  pressed 
his  thumb  upon  the  warm  wax.  "There,"  he  exclaimed, 
"I  give  you  the  original  and  genuine  sign  of  a  man."  He 
wore  no  episcopal  ring.  On  one  or  two  occasions  he  used 
the  doctor's  hood  which  the  general  Theological  Seminary 
gave  him  after  his  consecration,  but  that  too,  along  with 
the  certificate,  was  packed  away  in  Salt  Lake.  Our  semi- 
naries and  colleges  have  abdicated  their  ancient  right  of 
discerning  and  honoring  worth,  and  confer  degrees  for  win- 
ning a  majority  vote  in  a  diocesan  convention  or  the  House 
of  Bishops. 

He  hated  "  Rt.  Rev."  and  "  D.D. "  and  only  printed  them 
on  his  official  envelopes  to  please  his  mother.  A  friend  in 
whose  church  he  was  to  preach,  began  to  tell  him  where 
to  find  the  Episcopal  chair,  when  he  broke  in  with,  "Where 
are  you  going  to  sit?"  "Over  on  that  side  of  the  church," 
answered  his  friend.  "Then,"  said  the  bishop,  "I'll  sit 
beside  you."  The  simplicity  of  Christ  was  to  him  some- 
thing to  follow,  even  in  church. 


BEGGING   EAST  AND   WEST  1 87 

Phila.  Jan.  28. 

After  this  Eastern  business  anything  out  there  will  seem  to 
be  a  rest.  Not  that  I'm  at  all  played  out ;  only  it  is  hard  going 
from  place  to  place. 

Miss  Coles'  Bible  Class  is  simply  wonderful.  After  it  adjourned 
all  who  would  remained  to  pray  for  missions.  I  read  a  litany  of 
missions  and  at  least  75  women  joined  in  the  service.  It  was  a 
perfect  revelation  to  me  to  think  that  all  those  society  girls  were 
dead  in  earnest. 

N.  Y.  Jan.  29. 

Oh  !  but  I  have  splendid  news. gave  me  to-day  $5000  ! ! ! 

and  such  a  nice  letter.  I'm  not  to  tell  her  name,  just  say  it's  from 
a  friend. 

I  think  I  have  about  $22,000  which  is  more  than  half. 

I  ought  to  be  in  Salt  Lake  too  for  the  Cathedral  people  are 
almost  demanding  my  immediate  return.  Still  if  I  can  get  the 
whole  debt  paid  it  will  be  such  a  burden  removed.  With  that 
debt  I  can  not  very  well  go  forward  and  incur  necessary  small 
debts  throughout  the  District  where  churches  are  needed. 

My,  but  I've  been  in  a  rush.  In  addition  to  being  bishop 
of  Salt  Lake  I've  had  to  be  rector  of  All  Saints',  Denver,  and 
St.  Paul's,  Erie.  I've  tried  to  help  a  poor  woman  whom  I  used 
to  befriend  at  All  Saints'  whose  sad  story  I  can't  tell  you  about, 
and  I've  written  20  letters.  I  got  $50  for  my  Princeton  sermon 
and  this  paid  my  expenses  to  Williams'  consecration.  I  was 
going  to  buy  a  new  overcoat  with  it  for  I  needed  it,  but  it  must 
wait. 

Mr.  Heinze  is  giving  me  $5,000.  He  wants  half  of  it  to  go  for 
a  church,  and  says  if  the  church  costs  $5000  and  the  people 
pay  the  rest  he  will  pay  the  interest  on  the  debt.     Isn't  it  great ! 

N.  Y.  Feb.  8. 

I'm  pretty  sick  of  this  begging  but  I  must  of  course  keep  it 
up  to  the  end  and  I  am  surely  having  wonderful  success.  Bishop 
Leonard  told  me  that  if  I  hadn't  been  made  bishop  I  was  to  have 


1 88  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

been  called  to  St.  Paul's,  Cleveland.  Which  would  you  have 
liked  best? 

I  went  to  see  Dr.  Stires  at  his  request.  He  says  he  does  not 
want  me  to  say  one  word  about  money,  just  tell  them  about  the 
work.  He  cannot  be  there  and  so  he  can  not  back  me  up.  But 
he  says  that  later  in  the  year,  before  they  go  off  on  their  vaca- 
tions, in  May  perhaps,  he  will  say  to  them,  "Do  you  remember 
that  missionary  hero,  F.  S.  S.,  who  came  and  addressed  you. 
He  did  not  ask  for  money.  He  was  so  unselfish  that  he  merely 
pleaded  for  the  general  cause  of  missions.  Well,  dear  friends, 
I  have  learned  that  he  needs  $10,000  to  pay  the  debt  on  his 
hospital.  I  want  you  to  give  it  to  me  to  send  to  him  etc.  etc." 
Quite  grand  isn't  it.  I  gladly  promised  for  I  am  sick  of  the 
begging. 

I've  made  a  speech  to-day  with  Bishop  Greer.  He  said  it 
was  satisfactory,  and  I  guess  he  will  release  two  Cambridge  men 
who  are  willing  to  go  to  Salt  Lake. 

D.  L.  &  W.  R.  R. 
Feb.  12. 

I  tell  you  I'm  living  a  rushing  life  and  have  no  time  to  fall 
into  mischief.  I  dined  with  the  President  of  the  G.  F.  S.  She 
doesn't  know  much  about  the  G.  F.  S.  except  among  working 
girls  and  asked  me  a  lot  of  questions  about  our  branch  in  Erie, 
and  yours  in  Denver.  She  said  Bishop  Wells  told  her  last  week 
that  the  G.  F.  S.  wouldn't  work  in  the  West  because  the  Western 
girl  wouldn't  stand  the  thought  of  patronage,  etc.  I  said  I 
thought  that  was  absurd,  no  difference  between  East  and  West, 
and  it  all  depended  upon  the  kind  of  patronage. 

I'll  be  glad  when  I  can  turn  my  back  upon  those  great  city 
scenes  for  the  quiet  life  of  the  far  west.  I  am  going  to  see  the 
people  this  a.m.  that  Dr.  Mottet  has  given  me  letters  to,  and, 
since  my  interview  with  Mr.  Morgan  I  confess  it  takes  all  my 
nerve.  He  said  "no"  at  once  and  emphatically,  so  I  left  a  little 
hospital  book  and  fled. 

The  lunch  with  the  Outlook  editors  was  both  interesting  and 


BEGGING   EAST   AND   WEST  i       1 89 

amusing.  Mr.  Mabie  wasn't  there  but  all  the  others  were  and 
they  said  my  conversation  was  very  valuable,  etc.  etc.,  and 
the  lunch  was  pretty  good. 

N.  Y.  Feb.  18. 

I'm  at  St.  Thomas'  and  may  the  Lord  help  me  to  put  it  to 
them  straight,  for  a  lot  depends  upon  it.  From  Dr.  Mottet's 
list  I  got  $100.  I  find  that  a  will  of  Miss  Mount  leaves  $5000 
to  Salt  Lake  and  the  money  will  be  paid  over  to  me  at  once.  It 
must  be  spent  for  land  in  Salt  Lake  on  which  to  build  a  church, 
so  it  doesn't  help  the  hospital  very  much,  but  it  all  swells  the 
amount  and  helps  the  cause.     No  time  for  more  now. 

Watkins,  N.  Y. 
Feb.  21. 

Mrs.  is  charming  and  the  bishop  most  interesting  in  his 

conceited  pompous  patronage  of  his  "younger  brother."  I 
made  a  good  speech.  That  conceited  remark  is  perhaps  due  not 
to  the  natural  depravity  of  your  son  but  to  the  contact  with  the 
bishop.  I'll  be  glad  when  it's  over  and  I  can  preach  on  some  other 
subject  for  I  am  getting  tired  of  the  same  old  thing. 

Littell  and  Sherman  of  China  were  there  too  and  they  did 
splendidly.  It  made  my  work  seem  pretty  poor  and  mean  hear- 
ing of  theirs. 

A.  gave  me  "  Conquest  of  Canaan."  I  guess  it  will  do  me  good 
to  read  novels  awhile  and  ease  my  brain  for  I  have  been  work- 
ing it  hard  for  two  months. 

I'm  tired  of  high  life  and  long  for  the  simple  life  of  444  E.  1st 
South  and  the  really  good  company  of  my  own  family.  Expect 
me  5.15  Feb.  28. 

At  the  Conference  of  the  bishops  of  the  Department,  in 
Spokane  in  1909,  it  was  agreed  that  the  cities  of  the  Pacific 
coast  should  be  appealed  to  on  behalf  of  the  missionary 
sections  of  the  Department  no  less  than  the  East.  This  was 
Spalding's  idea  and  he  persuaded  his  associates  to  approve 


I90  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

it.  He  succeeded  and  they  authorized  him  to  beg  money 
West.  Upon  the  campaign,  which  no  one  had  tried  before, 
Spalding  entered  in  the  fall  of  1909. 

Northern  Pacific,  Sept.  16,  1909. 

We  are  pulling  into  Seattle  on  time.  That  is  hard  to  believe 
for  one  who  is  used  to  the  D.  &  R.  G.  To-night  the  work  be- 
gins. 

Oh,  if  I  can  only  persuade  people  to  help  Utah.  I  think  you, 
mother,  have  never  approved  of  the  scheme  and  yet  it  does 
seem  to  me  some  one  ought  to  begin  trying  to  tell  those  rich 
western  cities  their  duty.  If  I  fail  I  shall  have  to  go  East  after 
Christmas. 

Sept.  19. 

Though  everybody  is  kind  nobody  has  given  me  anything  or 
even  promised  it.  Edwards  told  me  that  they  all  felt  poor 
because  of  entertaining  friends  who  have  come  from  the  East 
to  see  the  Fair.  Of  course  I  expected  less  in  this  district  than 
anywhere  else  because  it  is  a  missionary  district,  and  then  too 
there  seems  to  be  no  team  play  between  the  churches  at  all. 
Bishop  Keator  hadn't  done  a  single  thing  or  arranged  with  a 
single  man  —  said  he  was  too  busy.  In  spite  of  his  outward 
show  of  interest  he  doesn't  care. 

Mr.  Gowen  is  a  wonderful  scholar  and  though  it  makes  one 
ashamed  of  his  own  ignorance  to  talk  to  him,  still  one  can  learn 
a  lot  too.  He  is  a  High  Churchman  and  yet  he  takes  little  stock 
in  the  opposition  to  Canon  19,  and  he  knows  Church  History  too 
well  to  believe  in  the  high  view  of  apostolic  succession.  He  has 
made  appointments  for  me  in  his  own  parish. 

Sept.  20. 

Last  night  I  got  $1.50  and  in  the  morning  $5.00  but  more  is 
coming.  Who  should  come  in  after  service  but  Bishop  Rowe. 
He  is  on  his  way  home  from  Nome  and  has  to  come  to  Seattle 
and  change  boats.  Indeed  Mr.  Gowen  says  it  would  be  easier 
if  he  lived  in  Seattle,  though  of  course  in  the  East  it  couldn't 


BEGGING  EAST   AND   WEST  191 

be  understood.  Sitka  is  out  of  the  way  and  few  boats  for  other 
Alaskan  points  stop  there.  So  it  is  necessary  when  starting  or 
returning  from  all  his  journeys  to  come  to  Seattle.  He  has 
been  away  since  March  and  looks  well  and  in  good  spirits.  We 
had  a  fine  long  visit. 

Sept.  21. 

Yesterday  I  went  over  to  Tacoma  and  Bishop  Keator  was 
kindness  itself.  His  strong  point  is  not  arranging  for  things 
ahead  but  he  has  a  fine  secretary.  I  wish  I  had  written  to  her 
about  my  trip,  for  she  would  have  arranged  it  all  carefully. 
My  schedule  now  is  pretty  full.  I  spoke  to  a  fine  meeting  of 
the  Woman's  Auxiliary  of  St.  Mark's  and  they  will  probably 
give  $50  a  year,  to  Provo. 

Even  if  Utah  doesn't  get  much,  I  believe  I'm  helping.  Hardly 
any  of  those  parishes  pay  their  apportionment.  I'm  glad  I've 
come  for  of  course  I  must  work  for  the  whole  Church.  The 
rector  of  St.  Paul's  wasn't  very  enthusiastic  but  consented,  so 
I  don't  suppose  I  shall  have  many  out.  The  other  men  seem 
to  welcome  me. 

Sept.  24. 

I  like  the  Bishop  very  much  better.  How  true  it  is  that 
we  like  people  more  as  we  know  them.  We  had  a  splendid 
District  Auxiliary  Meeting,  and  Bishop  Keator  did  back  me  up 
nobly.  They  pledged  $120  to  pay  six  months  rent  at  Provo. 
I'm  going  to  a  Socialist  speechifying  to-night.  I  have  about 
$250.  from  Olympia  and  that  is  far  more  than  expenses  and  the 
people  seem  to  think  I've  helped. 

The  only  trouble  is  that  the  Tacoma  papers  have  been  very 
sensational.  Last  night  I  tried  to  be  fair  and  charitable.  There 
were  at  least  four  Mormons  there  and  I've  just  read  the  morning 
paper  "Bp.  S's  arraignment  of  the  Mormons." 

Portland,  Oct.  1. 

Bishop  Scadding  preached  in  Trinity  Church  last  Sunday 
asking  for  money  for  District  missions  and  got  $500.     It  looks 


192  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

as  if  he  wanted  to  get  in  ahead  of  me.  Dr.  Morrison  thought 
them  a  little  less  interested  because  of  it,  but  they  gave  $77.75. 
That's  pretty  good  isn't  it?  I  went  to  S.  Helena's  School 
Chapel.  I'm  glad  Rowland  Hall  hasn't  sisters.  They  are 
so  shy  and  black,  bowing  and  bobbing.  The  sisters  will 
not  eat  with  a  man  and  when  Bishop  Scadding  is  there  at 
meal  time  they  send  him  his  portion  to  a  room  by  himself.  The 
sister  superior  did  not  ask  me  to  go  to  Chapel.  Indeed  when  I 
proposed  it  she  said,  "It  was  not  necessary."  They  do  not  like 
to  have  any  men  except  the  chaplain  about. 

The  Bishop  is  very  pleasant  but  I  don't  feel  quite  sure  of  him. 
He  is  the  kind  of  man  to  want  all  the  Episcopal  trimmings  going. 
I  asked  him  whether  I  better  accept  the  Socialist  invitation  and 
he  insisted  that  I  do,  and  he  loaded  the  reporter.  I  sent  you 
the  paper  with  the  unfortunate  heading.  That  wasn't  my  fault 
but  Bishop  Scadding's.  The  article  isn't  so  bad.  The  Socialist 
meeting  last  night  was  fine.  Dr.  Morrison  went  and  said  he 
felt  sure  it  was  a  good  thing  I  did  it.  I  have  the  Woman's 
Auxiliary  this  p.m.  and  the  Brotherhood  tonight ;  on  Sunday 
St.  David's  in  the  a.m.  and  St.  Mark's  at  night.  I  think  in 
the  end  I  shall  have  raised  more  money  in  Portland  than  in 
Seattle. 

Oct.  16. 

It  isn't  the  speaking  and  the  services  but  the  hospitality 
that  is  too  much  of  a  good  thing.  I  don't  know  how  in 
the  world  to  escape  it.  People  are  wonderfully  kind  to  me, 
but  being  invited  out  to  three  meals  a  day  and  each  one  a 
feast  is  too  much. 

I  am  more  than  paying  expenses  but  not  so  far  getting  enough 
to  pay  the  missionaries.  I  hope  what  they  say  about  the  value 
of  my  trip  educationally  is  true.  I  do  hope  I  shall  not  have  to 
go  East.  I  feel  that  I  ought  to  be  breaking  into  a  lot  of 
new  territory.  If  these  people  here  are  interested  in  what  I 
have  to  say  then  surely  I  ought  to  be  saying  things  all  the  time 
in  Utah  for  that  is  my  field. 


BEGGING  EAST  AND   WEST  1 93 

San  Francisco,  Oct.  18. 

I  went  with  the  dining  car  conductor  to  his  hotel.  He  said 
impressively  to  the  clerk,  "Give  Bishop  Spalding  the  best  room 
in  the  house."  As  I  didn't  know  just  how  good  even  that  would 
be  I  didn't  object.  It  was  a  fine  room,  neat  as  a  pin  with  bath 
attached  and  cost  me  $2.50. 

If  the  Board  increases  the  apportionment  I  may  make  out  with- 
out going  East.  I  do  want  to  stay  at  home  and  try  to  visit  some 
new  places.  I  had  a  fine  long  talk  with  Bishop  Paddock.  He  is 
doing  great  work  and  is  on  the  move  all  the  time,  just  a  traveling 
evangelist.  But  Bishop  P.  of  course  hasn't  a  school  and  hospital 
to  require  his  attention.  There  are  other  parts  of  Utah  besides 
Vernal,  etc.  where  I  want  to  make  the  Church  known. 

Oct.  21. 

I've  just  come  back  from  Palo  Alto  and  San  Mateo.  The 
Stanford  chaplain  told  me  that  there  would  be  thirty  or  forty, 
but  he  boosted  me  as  a  socialistic  lecturer  and  about  400 
came  out  and  among  them  the  Professor  of  Political  Economy 
and  the  President.  I  was  pretty  badly  frightened  but  there 
was  no  getting  out  of  it.  In  San  Mateo  I  spoke  to  the  boys  in 
the  Orphans'  Home  and  later  to  the  Divinity  students. 

I  really  begin  my  campaign  next  Sunday  and  after  that  have 
a  steady  run  of  appointments.  That  will  seem  more  natural 
for  this  week  since  Sunday  I've  only  made  four  speeches,  which 
seems  very  idle  for  me. 

Bishop  Nichols  is  a  great  man  and  we  have  been  having  a  lot 
of  fine  talks  about  all  sorts  of  things. 

I've  struck  this  part  of  the  country  at  a  wretched  time.  The 
city  is  packed,  275,000  visitors,  over  1,000,000  people.  No 
chance  for  missions  until  the  carnival  week  is  over. 

Oct.  25. 

Bishop  Nichols  gave  me  $50  which  was  given  him  yesterday 
by  a  man  who  heard  me  at  Grace  Church.  I  preached  at  St. 
Paul's,  Oakland. 


194  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

There  is  no  G.  F.  S.  strength  here  and  they  seem  to  think  it 
must  be  the  English  idea  of  lady  and  servant. 

I'm  having  just  the  same  kind  of  time  as  in  the  north  — 
everybody  says  it  will  do  good,  though  it  don't  help  me.  The 
people  who  could  give  large  sums  don't  do  it  and  the  small  widow's 
mites,  though  of  course  most  pleasing  to  the  Lord,  don't  do  much 
of  the  Lord's  work.  Had  a  nice  time  at  St.  Mark's  Churchman's 
Dinner  last  night  though  it  was  merely  used  for  purposes  of  en- 
tertainment. 

I  guess  the  salaries  are  safe  now  until  after  the  General  Con- 
vention. 

San  Mateo,  Oct.  30. 

I've  been  speaking  twice  and  three  times  a  day.  In  the  morn- 
ing I  celebrated  the  Holy  Communion  for  Fr.  Gee,  the  High 
Churchman,  for  he  has  it  every  day.  There  were  two  old  ladies 
there  and  only  one  received.  I  asked  him  whether  he  thought 
it  did  much  good  and  he  seemed  to  think  it  was  pleasing  to  God 
even  if  people  didn't  come.  I  can't  see  that  at  all.  Christ 
came  to  save  men,  not  to  please  God  by  services,  etc.  "Are 
not  the  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills  His?" 

Sacramento,  Nov.  5. 

I  had  not  expected  when  I  made  my  plans  to  come  to  Sacra- 
mento as  it  is  a  Missionary  District.  The  church  is  a  most 
ambitious  one  of  granite  but  quite  unfurnished.  We  must  have 
had  200  people  out.  The  offering  for  Utah  was  $17.35.  We 
are  to  have  a  business  men's  luncheon  at  12.30  and  I  hope  I  can 
get  a  chance  to  tell  them  their  duty,  though  probably  they  will 
be  full  of  other  matters.  I  think  I  have  some  good  figures. 
The  Pacific  coast  states  in  the  last  9  years  have  grown  29%, 
the  inner  states  of  the  Eighth  Department  have  grown  41%. 
While  the  Pacific  states  have  three  times  the  population,  they 
have  five  times  the  clergymen  and  they  have  six  times  as  many 
communicants.  Surely  they  ought  to  help  the  weaker  part  of 
the  Department. 

Bishop  Moreland  is  East  begging. 


BEGGING   EAST   AND    WEST  195 

Los  Angeles 
Nov.  10. 

I  preached  to  a  big  congregation  in  Christ  Church,  an  enormous 
church  with  a  floor  like  a  theatre,  high  behind  and  sloping 
toward  the  chancel.  After  service  a  man  gave  me  $100  —  the 
biggest  yet  at  any  service.  At  night  I  had  another  large  congre- 
gation at  St.  Paul's.  I'm  to  go  to  a  clericus  this  morning  and 
then  to  the  Woman's  Auxiliary.  I  go  from  here  to  Riverside 
and  then  to  Redlands.     Bishop  Johnson  was  splendid  yesterday. 

San  Diego,  Nov.  15. 

It  is  just  two  months  since  I  started.  I'm  glad  I  came  though 
I've  not  got  the  money  needed.  I  think  the  men  are  all  sin- 
cere in  saying  the  addresses,  etc.  have  helped  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions.    It  looks  as  if  I'd  get  more  than  $500  here  in  the  South. 

I  love  children  but  the  three  in  this  house  are  too  much  for 
me.  They  all  talked  at  once  and  in  high  shrill  voices.  I  feel 
ashamed  of  myself  for  being  nervous  over  it  and  suppose  it  is 
proof  that  I'm  tired.  I'm  longing  to  get  back.  Somehow  I 
feel  as  if  I'd  said  the  same  thing  over  and  over  again  and  to  the 
same  people.     I'm  glad  there  is  only  about  a  week  more  of  it. 

They  seem  to  know  little  about  the  G.  F.  S.  here.  They  have 
the  English  idea  and  it  makes  me  realize  what  a  handicap  that 
is.  "There  are  no  working  girls  of  the  G.  F.  S.  type  along  the 
Pacific,"  I  hear  over  and  over  again. 

Nov.  12. 

I'm  getting  rather  more  money  here  than  anywhere  else  and 
it  looks  as  if  my  total  receipts  may  be  $1200  or  $1500.  I  really 
feel  that  the  campaign  has  helped  the  cause  of  missions  anyway. 

Coronado 

Nov.  16. 

This  part  of  the  state  gives  me  $200  and  more  will  come. 
Yesterday  I  went  to  the  ministers'  meeting.  It  was  like  ours 
in  Salt  Lake  and  the  old  one  in  Erie  and  makes  me  see  that 


196  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

Christian  unity  is  afar  off.  In  the  afternoon  the  auxiliaries 
from  all  over  came  and  at  night  we  had  a  fine  service. 

Santa  Barbara. 

The  rector  here  is  a  very  nice  man  but  he  is  timid.  He  doesn't 
want  to  crowd  the  people.  He  has  so  much  trouble  raising  his 
apportionment  that  he  is  afraid  to  give  or  encourage  specials, 
etc.  etc.  He  is  a  Berkeley  Seminary  graduate  and  I'm  wonder- 
ing what  they  do  with  men  there,  for  they  are  all  alike  from 

M to  M .     They  are  nice  and  good  but  inefficient.     I 

preached  last  night,  small  congregation  and  got  less  than  $15. 
and  all  the  rector's  fault.  At  St.  John's,  Los  Angeles,  is  a  General 
Seminary  man,  and  he  is  fine,  as  interested  and  enthusiastic  as 
I  am  about  getting  money. 

So  far  I've  raised  about  $1500  but  more  may  come.  I'm  the 
first  missionary  bishop  that  has  ever  spoken  in  any  of  these 
places.     I  think  it  has  been  useful  for  the  general  cause. 

After  the  General  Convention  of  1907  Spalding  again 
visited  the  East  in  the  hope  of  raising  $15,000  for  his  field. 
It  was  a  year  of  financial  panic  when  some  clergymen  were 
asking  their  vestries  to  reduce  their  salaries  to  save  their 
work  from  loss,  and  devoted  laymen  were  making  unusual 
sacrifices.  He  got  more  money  than  any  of  the  other 
missionaries,  but  it  was  so  far  below  his  needs,  only  one- 
fifth  of  what  he  asked,  that  he  doubted  whether  it  paid  to 
stay  in  the  East  and  work  so  hard.  Moreover,  he  decided 
that  the  General  Convention  years  are  bad  years  for  rais- 
ing money,  there  being  too  much  competition.  He  stirred 
up  interest,  however,  in  the  Cambridge  School  and  else- 
where, and  one  man,  destined  to  become  one  of  his  most 
devoted  and  intelligent  assistants,  offered  himself  for  ser- 
vice in  Utah.  The  coming  of  that  one  man,  like  that  of 
St.  Andrew  and  St.  Philip,  makes  financial  results,  however 


BEGGING    EAST    AND    WEST  197 

necessary,  seem  insignificant.  This  trip  judged  by  that 
alone  was  a  triumphant  success. 

Again  in  191 2  he  was  compelled  to  go  East  for  money.  He 
had  asked  the  Board  to  put  Utah  on  the  same  basis  as  Alaska 
and  the  Philippines  so  that  he  might  stay  at  home.  Fail- 
ing that,  he  had  to  raise  himself  the  $3000  for  salaries  which 
were  needed  over  and  above  what  the  Board  gave ;  and  he 
tried  also  to  raise  enough  to  pay  the  debt  on  Rowland  Hall. 

New  York,  Jan.  18,  191 2. 

I  inquired  about  a  new  rochet  and  the  very  cheapest  is  $23 
and  I  do  hate  to  spend  it.  I  guess  the  two  I  have  will  have  to 
do,  though  they  are  rather  big  and  long  for  dress  parade.  Have 
ordered  a  new  long  coat  for  I  find  my  best  suit  was  really  shabby. 
It  will  cost  $28  which  is  dirt  cheap. 

I'm  the  guest  of  the  Diocese  of  New  York  at  the  Diocesan 
House.     They  have  a  number  of  rooms  and  take  in  poor  bishops. 

I've  just  had  a  perfectly  fine  time  at  lunch  with  Bishop  Greer 
and  his  family.  He  is  just  as  simple  and  genuine  as  can  be. 
Strange  to  say  I  believe  he  was  nice  to  me  because  of  the  saucy 
speech  I  made  in  Cincinnati  when  I  called  New  York  provincial. 

I'll  be  glad  when  this  Liberal  Club  is  over  for  that  ends  my 

speeches  on  Socialism,  etc.     Miss  turned  me  down  hard, 

though  she  may  relent.  She  said  that  she  had  heard  that  I  was 
a  "  spiritualist."  I  said  I  never  had  been  accused  of  that  be- 
fore though  people  had  called  me  a  Socialist.  ''Well,"  she  said, 
"perhaps  it  was  that,  do  they  mean  the  same  thing?  I'm  sorry 
you  are  one  whatever  it  is."  And  think  of  the  Church  depending 
on  ignorance  like  that !  « 

To  His  Sister 

Jan.  19. 

I  was  invited  to  address  the  Civitas  Club  of  Brooklyn  on 
"Insurgency  in  Religion,"  and  I  was  informed  that  they  were 
a  very  radical  lot  of  young  and  old  women.  The  President  asked 
me  to  luncheon.     It  was  a  very  elegant  luncheon,  and  your 


198  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

classmate  sat  as  near  me  as  she  could,  for  her  hat  was  at  least 
a  yard  in  circumference.  She  is  a  Socialist.  I  asked  her  when 
I  had  a  chance,  for  she  was  a  pretty  brisk  talker  herself  and  the 
six  others  kept  so  steadily  at  it  that  I  listened  most  of  the  time, 
what  her  husband  thought  of  Socialism.  She  said  rather  sadly 
that  he  was  a  business  man  and  though  he  admitted  there  was 
much  truth  in  what  she  believed,  still  he  had  his  living  to  make 
and  that  business  men  couldn't  be  expected  to  make  sacrifices 
for  principles  like  clergymen.  She  said  that  she  felt  that  it  was 
the  high  and  noble  privilege  of  clergymen  to  starve  rather  than 
lower  their  ideals  of  justice,  but  not  for  business  men  like  her 
husband.  I  timidly  suggested  that  when  the  living  of  other 
missionaries  was  dependent  on  some  clergymen  getting  money 
from  rich  men  to  support  them  it  became  a  larger  matter  than 
personal  martyrdom.  But  she  seemed  to  think  I  had  no  argu- 
ment on  my  side  because  all  the  clergymen  and  their  families 
ought  to  be  martyrs  gladly  too.  However,  they  all  seemed  to  be 
rather  unhappy  about  their  unprogressive  husbands  who  were  so 
busy  in  business  that  the  wives  had  to  do  the  thinking  for  them. 
I  spoke  to  200  women  and  then  had  a  fine  time  answering 
questions  just  as  bluntly  as  I  could,  trying  to  rip  up  whatever 
seemed  to  be  faddy  and  insincere  and  they  took  it  O.K.  I'm 
to  get  $25  for  Utah. 

Jan.  19. 

Yesterday  I  rose  to  the  heights  for  there  is  nothing  higher 

than  A.  at  B.    St. 's  House  is  not  a  parish  house  but  a  priests' 

house.  The  priests  live  in  it  and  have  their  confessions  there. 
A  most  luxurious  place.  I  was  rather  disappointed  to  be  told 
that  most  of  the  money  to  build  the  house  was  given  by  the 
poor.  All  the  poor  get  out  of  it  is  an  invitation  to  a  reception 
now  and  then  or  to  a  meal.  At  supper  one  of  the  men  spoke  of 
the  Christian  life  as  one  of  "mortification  and  prayer,"  but  when 
I  visited  his  room  I  found  that  he  had  three  rooms  and  a  private 
bath,  rugs,  pictures  and  a  piano,  and  I  asked  if  that  was  what 
they  called  "mortification."     The  poor  Father  laughed  himself. 


BEGGING   EAST   AND    WEST  1 99 

I  went  to  Low  Mass  at  the  high  altar  and  who  should  turn  up 

but  Fr. who  used  to  be  in and and  nearly  wrecked 

every  parish  he  touched.  He  had  merely  come  in  to  "borrow 
an  altar"  so  that  he  could  say  mass.  And  so  while  the  main 
service  was  going  on  at  the  high  altar,  he  was  going  through  the 
same  performance  at  a  side  altar  with  one  woman  watching  him. 
But  the  low  mass  wasn't  a  circumstance  to  the  high  mass,  three 
priests,  incense  and  80  lighted  candles.  The  priest  made  a 
special  appeal  at  night  for  more  money  for  the  candle  fund  be- 
cause he  said  it  cost  a  great  deal !  After  I  preached  and  again 
during  the  Magnificat  there  was  great  incensing  etc.  He  ad- 
mitted the  use  of  incense  was  a  survival  of  the  days  when  it  was 
used  to  overcome  the  stench  of  burning  flesh  at  burnt  sacrifices. 
I  also  lectured  on  Mormonism  in  the  parish  hall. 

There  is  nothing  about  F.  S.  S.  to  worry  for  —  only  whether 
he  can  make  good  at  the  job. 

Jan.  22. 

I  had  a  wonderful  time  at  the  Grace  Church  service.  It  was 
packed  and  the  service  beautiful.  After  the  service  there  was  a 
big  reception  of  old  friends  in  the  vestry  —  Erie  people,  and 
what  do  you  think !  Bishop  Nibley  of  Salt  Lake,  Wilfred  Lang- 
ton  of  Logan,  Lawyer  Watkins  of  Vernal  —  all  big  Mormons. 
They  said  I  had  been  fair  and  they  wanted  to  thank  me.  There 
was  a  big  account  in  the  Times  and  I  suppose  Miss  Mason  and 
her  crowd  will  be  angry  at  me,  but  I  don't  care.  I  know  most  of 
the  people  who  heard  my  sermon  felt  I  was  putting  it  in  the 
right  way  and  that  my  policy  was  better  than  hers,  so  I  felt  pretty 
good  though  I  don't  know  yet  about  money. 

Mr.  Nock  thinks  I  better  send  my  article  on  Christian  Unity 
to  the  Atlantic  Monthly  and  he  says  he  believes  it  is  good  enough 
to  print.  Wouldn't  it  be  grand  to  have  an  article  in  the  At- 
lantic. And  the  good  thing  about  that  is  that  if  they  accepted 
it  it  would  really  be  worth  printing. 

Charley  Slattery  was  fine !  Dr.  Bliss,  representing  the 
Christian  Socialist  Fellowship,  wants  me  to  speak  again  on  Social- 


20O  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

ism  and  the  Church,  but  I  declined,  for  I'm  through  with  that  or 
at  least  will  be  after  next  Sunday  night. 

The  report  of  the  speech  at  the  Liberal  Club  makes  me  very 
unhappy.  The  reporter  happened  to  be  a  Salt  Lake  ex-Mor- 
mon and  he  exaggerated  out  of  all  proportion  references  to  Salt 

Lake  and  Utah  conditions. 

Feb.  i. 

I  must  confront  Miss  Mason  and  her  council  to-morrow  at 
10,  and  may  the  Lord  give  me  grace  to  keep  my  temper  and  have 
a  right  judgment. 

To  His  Cousin 

P.  R.  R.  Feb.  3. 

Your  letter  came  at  a  good  time  for  I  had  just  gone  through 
three  hours  of  it  with  your  friends,  "The  Interdenominational 
Council  of  Women  for  Christian  and  Patriotic  Service."  They, 
too,  nearly  accused  me  of  being  a  Mormon  in  disguise,  and 
with  one  or  two  exceptions,  a  more  bigoted  group  of  women  I 
never  saw. 

Oh  women,  gentle,  loving,  sweet, 

I  am  not  fit  to  touch  your  feet ; 

But  when  you  scrap,  I  know,  I've  felt 

You  can't  help  punching  'neath  the  belt. 

You  can't  believe  all  you  read  in  the  papers.  The  Times  re- 
porter was  an  old  Utah  boy  whose  parents  were  Mormons  and 
one  of  the  other  reporters  was  a  prominent  Mormon  from  Vernal. 
On  the  whole  they  did  fairly  well,  though  they  suppressed  part 
of  my  criticism,  which,  I  suppose,  we  would  do  in  their  place. 

I  am  working  hard  as  I  can  but  not  getting  much  money. 

Why  is  it  that  Presbyterians  give  more  than  Episcopalians? 

Perhaps  they  think  it  will  take  more  to  save  them  than  to  save 

Episcopalians. 

To  His  Mother 

Feb.  18. 

The  preaching  does  very  little  good  directly.  The  private 
calls  and  talks  are  the  thing.     New  York  is  already  getting  ready 


BEGGING   EAST   AND    WEST  201 

for  the  General  Convention.  They  say  it  will  cost  $50,000  to 
entertain  us.  Somehow  I  feel  that  it  would  be  better  to  give 
us  simple  fare  and  more  for  missions. 

I've  been  working  at  my  noonday  addresses  in  Old  Trinity. 
01  course  I  can  see  that  I'll  be  using  old  material,  but  why  not, 
it's  the  best  I  have.  The  general  subject  is  loyalty  to  Christ's 
requirements  of  us.  I  know  it's  a  great  chance  and  perhaps  I 
ought  to  have  stopped  preaching  for  Utah  and  gone  off  for  a 
quiet  week,  but  I  don't  see  how  I  could.  Since  I've  tried  to 
do  my  duty  perhaps  God  will  help  me. 

Feb.  26. 

The  first  Trinity  address  is  over.  It  is  a  wet  day  and  the 
congregation  wasn't  very  best,  though  they  said  for  the  day  it 
was  good.  I  thought  I  did  badly,  though  I  said  all  I  had  planned 
to  say  in  fifteen  minutes.  There  were  460  people  in  the  church, 
for  they  always  count  them.  The  first  has  been  a  good  bit  of 
a  strain,  and  then  too  I  guess  a  little  healthy  disappointment  of 
pride  because  it  wasn't  the  great  crowd  etc.  that  I've  sort  of 
dreamed  of.     But  that  will  make  it  all  the  easier  to-morrow. 

I  think  I've  raised  about  $7,000  so  far.  I  ought  not  to  be 
discouraged  —  only  it  isn't  like  it  was  in  the  old  days  when  I 
got  $40,000. 

Trenton,  March  2. 

I  finished  at  Trinity.  Dr.  Manning  was  there  for  the  last 
sermon  —  for  he  usually  doesn't  come  —  and  he  seemed  to  think 
my  "message"  as  he  called  it  was  useful.  The  sexton  gave  me 
these  figures:    Mon.  467,  Tues.  636,  Wed.  733,  Thurs.  702,  Fri. 

758. 

I  lectured  here  last  night  and  two  Mormons  who  were  there 
didn't  like  what  I  said.  Afterwards  they  told  me  because  I 
wasn't  wanted  enough  in  Utah  to  have  the  people  care  to  pay 
my  salary  I  had  to  come  East  to  beg  for  it.  I  went  to  see  them 
to-day  and  spent  two  hours  telling  them  what  the  Christian 
religion  really  is.     I  don't  know  how  much  good  it  did. 


202  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

Phila.  March  7. 

I  confess  I  can't  understand  our  Church.  At  Englewood  the 
member  of  another  denomination  sent  $50  but  from  all  the 
Church  people  who  heard  the  same  "burning  words"  $10,  $5, 
$3,  which  don't  make  up  the  $50  by  $20.  At  Washington  they 
said  they  are  convinced  that  "I  am  doing  a  great  work."  Dr. 
McKim  called  me  a  "noble  man."  But  nobody  said  a  word 
about  paying  my  expenses  and  the  offering  was  for  General 
Missions.  Wilmington  was  a  bright  exception,  they  put  a  plate 
by  the  door  and  Kirkus  told  them  to  do  their  duty  and  I  got  $100. 

I  had  a  fine  visit  with  the  Indian  Commissioner  who  seems  a 
splendid  fellow  and  who  is  up  against  a  tough  job.  President 
Taft  has  yielded  to  the  politicians  etc.  and  gone  back  on  him. 
He  saw  that  there  was  a  deliberate  scheme  for  the  Roman  Church 
to  get  control  of  more  government  schools  and  he  felt  that  he 
ought  to  stop  it.  So  he  issued  an  order  that  in  U.  S.  Schools 
when  on  duty  members  of  orders,  etc.  should  not  wear  the  garb 
of  their  orders.  It  seemed  a  perfectly  fair  proposal  because  the 
schools  were  not  R.  C.  Schools,  but  U.  S.  schools,  and  something 
had  to  be  done  to  make  that  fact  quite  clear.  Well  there  was 
a  row.  Cardinal  Gibbons  et  al  protested,  threatened  the  dis- 
favor of  the  Church,  the  loss  of  the  Irish  vote,  etc.  And  Taft 
revoked  the  order  without  even  consulting  Mr.  Valentine  on 
the  merits  of  the  question.  What  cowards  these  men  are.  I 
get  to  be  more  of  a  Socialist  all  the  time. 

Well,  I  must  tell  you  about  the  noble  statesman  from  Utah, 
Reid  Smoot.  I  got  there  about  5.30  and  he  met  me  at  the  door 
and  was  most  cordial.  We  had  a  very  elegant  meal.  He  says 
polygamy  is  absolutely  dead.  He  has  helped  kill  it  and  has 
had  a  hard  fight  to  do  it.  He  declared  that  he  believed  im- 
plicitly in  the  whole  Mormon  religion,  in  the  Book  of  Mormon 
and  Joseph  Smith.  I  told  him  about  my  investigation  of  the 
Pearl  of  Great  Price  and  he  had  nothing  to  say.  Just  think  of 
it ;  he  is  one  of  the  great  statesmen  of  the  nation  !  I  got  quite 
a  lot  from  him  about  the  economic  features  of  Mormonism. 


BEGGING   EAST   AND    WEST  203 

According  to  him  the  Church  was  always  the  backer  of  the  richer 
men,  never  of  the  poorer.  If  he  is  a  great  Republican,  I'm  a 
Socialist. 

New  York,  March  16. 

I  heard  Williams  yesterday  noon  in  Old  Trinity  and  he  is  won- 
derful, I'm  not  within  a  thousand  miles  of  his  class.  He  told 
me  of  one  parish  where  it  took  $35,000  worth  of  automobiles  to 
bring  twelve  vestrymen  to  a  meeting  in  which  they  decided  that 
they  couldn't  pay  their  apportionment  of  $148.  Oh !  why  don't 
those  who  have  help  !  I  guess  altogether  I've  got  about  $10,000. 
I  have  a  lot  of  personal  calls  to  make  in  New  York  and  that  is 
the  toughest  part.  But  it's  got  to  be  done.  If  I  get  that  Uni- 
versity House  at  Salt  Lake  it  must  come  from  one  person. 

Yesterday  was  a  very  slow  and  profitless  day  unless  the  seminar 
at  the  G.  F.  S.  profited  by  my  lecture  to  them  on  "Socialism  and 
the  Church,"  by  invitation  of  Professor  Hunt. 

I'm  wearying  of  saying  the  same  thing  over  and  over  again. 
But  I  have  actually  over  $12,000  which  will  pay  Rowland  Hall 
debt,  the  paving  taxes  and  with  what  I  have  in  annual  pledges 
the  salaries  for  the  year.     So  I'm  glad  and  grateful. 

On  Saturday  I  visited  the  Mormon  headquarters  and  had  a 
most  hopeless  interview  with  Professor  Laughton,  the  head  of 
it.  He  said  he  would  take  Joseph  Smith's  word  ahead  of  all 
the  scholars  on  earth.  If  any  number  of  Egyptologists  said  a 
thing  was  different  than  Joseph  Smith,  then  Smith  was  right. 

Boston,  April  6. 

I  enjoyed  going  to  the  Three  Hour  Service  at  St.  Paul's. 
There  was  a  bigger  congregation  there  than  was  at  Trinity,  New 
York,  for  it  averaged  800  all  the  time  and  once  got  over  1000. 
I  caught  the  midnight  train  to  Boston,  and  since  it  was  driving 
wet  snow  I  committed  my  first  act  of  extravagance.  I  took  a 
cab.  I  think  I  have  at  least  $12,000.  I've  taken  out  nothing 
for  traveling  expenses  but  have  paid  my  own  way.  I  think  I 
made  more  good  future  friends,  but  unless  the  canons  are  changed 


204  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

the  task  of  the  Domestic  bishops  is  bound  to  get  harder  and 
harder  because  all  the  pressure  of  the  Board  is  against  Specials 
in  the  interest  of  the  apportionment,  and  with  an  increased  ap- 
propriation of  $200,000  for  China  I  don't  quite  know  what  we 
shall  do. 

To  His  Mother 

Cincinnati,  April  21. 

You  must  know  it  first.  Mrs.  Emery  has  promised  $25,000 
for  the  University  House  in  Salt  Lake.  Isn't  it  grand,  grand, 
grand.  She  doesn't  want  it  put  into  the  papers  nor  a  fuss  made 
over  it,  but  she  says  she  can  do  it  and  is  glad  to.  I  knew  after 
I  saw  the  houses  at  Ann  Arbor  that  $10,000  wasn't  enough.  But 
the  $25,000  is  almost  too  good  to  be  true,  so  you'll  understand 

how  I  feel. 

Indianapolis,  April  24. 

I  went  last  night  to  a  suffragist  meeting  and  spoke  in  favor 
of  woman's  suffrage  because  I  was  summoned  as  an  expert 
from  Utah  and  Colorado.  But  I  told  them  that  it  was  a  lot 
easier  to  claim  rights  than  to  perform  duties  and  that  woman's 
suffrage  would  not  make  Indiana  perfect  right  away  as  they 
seemed  to  think  it  would. 

I  seem  to  have  raised  on  my  trip  East  $14,759.87  in  addition 
to  what  Mrs.  Emery  gave.  $1400  of  that  is  definitely  specified 
for  Garfield. 

This  chapter  would  not  be  complete  without  the  record 
of  a  conviction  of  Bishop  Spalding  that  was  born  of  his 
experience  in  begging  East  and  West.  It  is  absolutely 
impossible,  he  held,  for  the  same  man  to  work  in  Utah  and 
also  to  raise  money  by  talking  about  it.  In  Utah,  his 
usefulness  depends  upon  his  trying  to  see  the  best  in  the 
Mormons;  the  East  expects  him  to  expose  the  worst. 
Even  though  he  tries  hard  to  be  fair  in  his  presentations  of 
his  case,  distorted  reports  are  sent  back  and  his  influence 
is  weakened.     The  official  Mormon  paper  declared,  "The 


BEGGING   EAST   AND    WEST  205 

concluding  act  of  all  of  Dr.  Spalding's  Eastern  addresses, 
namely,  an  appeal  for  funds  wherewith  to  'fight  the  Mor- 
mon Monster,'  fully  explains  the  cause  of  his  activity." 
"  I  want  to  send  that  to  John  Wood,"  he  wrote  his  mother, 
"  to  show  how  hard  it  is  for  me  to  talk  in  the  East  about  the 
Mormons  and  then  come  back  to  Utah  and  try  to  reach  the 
Mormons."  The  charge  was  not  just,  but  Spalding  rec- 
ognized that  it  was  inevitable  that  the  Mormons  should 
think  so.  He  did  not  believe  that  this  was  peculiar  to  the 
missionary  to  the  Mormons;  it  applied  to  any  Western 
missionary.  The  whole  spirit  of  the  West  despises  the  man 
who  "goes  East  to  knock  —  not  to  boost."  The  pleader 
for  money,  to  meet  the  spiritual  destitution  and  moral 
depravity  of  the  grandest  and  most  promising  part  of  the 
United  States,  finds,  on  his  return,  that  he  has  lost  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


XIV 

The  Church  in  the  Mining  Camp 

"I've  a  text  for  a  new  missionary  sermon.  'And  a  certain 
man  found  him  wandering  in  the  fields  and  the  man  asked 
him,  What  seekest  thou  and  he  said,  I  seek  my  brethren.' 
Joseph  wasn't  seeking  the  man  to  ask  him  for  information, 
he  was  probably  day  dreaming  or  thinking  of  his  dream  and 
his  future ;  he  had  forgotten  the  welfare  of  his  brethren 
until  the  man  met  him.  That  is  what  I  have  to  do  —  meet 
people  and  ask  them  what  they  are  seeking,  wake  them  out 
of  their  forgetfulness  and  show  them  that  the  real  glory  of 
life  is  to  seek  our  brethren.  What  do  you  think  of  it?" 
Spalding  believed  that  if  the  Church  is  to  win  men  to 
Christ  and  His  righteousness,  she  must  go  where  the  men 
are.  In  the  mining  camps  of  the  Western  states  are  great 
numbers  of  the  brainiest,  the  most  ambitious  and  the  man- 
liest men  in  the  world.  In  Tonopah  or  Goldfield,  Nevada, 
for  example,  there  were  probably  more  college  graduates 
than  in  any  place  of  equal  size  in  the  United  States.  They 
were  not  there  for  life.  As  soon  as  they  made  their  stake, 
or  reported  on  a  property  for  their  employers,  or  surveyed 
a  claim  or  town  site,  or  installed  the  machinery  for  a  mine, 
they  left  for  the  coast,  East  or  West.  In  many  cases  they 
become  the  heads  of  great  enterprises,  leaders  in  business 
and  politics.  It  was  to  such  men  he  went,  as  they  wan- 
dered with  their  heads  full  of  ambitious  schemes,  and  re- 

206 


THE.  CHURCH  IN   THE   MINING   CAMP  207 

minded  them  that  the  glory  of  manhood  was  to  seek  their 
brethren.  ' 

Tacoma,  Nev.,  Jan.  7,  1906. 

I  had  a  fine  service  at  the  mine  of  the  Salt  Lake  Copper  Co. 
Mr.  Fisher,  a  friend  of  mine,  is  superintendent  and  he  arranged 
things.  I  slept  in  his  bed  and  ate  with  the  men  in  the  men's 
house  where  we  also  had  service.  As  Mr.  Fisher  says  it's  like 
washing  linen  —  it  will  probably  get  dirty  again,  but  it  is  a 
good  thing  to  get  it  clean  once  in  awhile. 

The  mine  is  near  the  top  of  a  mountain  and  the  views  of 
the  desert  are  wonderful.  You  can  see  Salt  Lake  fifty  miles 
away  in  one  direction  and  range  after  range  of  the  Nevada 
mountains  in  the  other  direction.  Mr.  Fisher  let  the  men 
come  to  the  service  without  its  counting  against  their  time  and 
wages.  There  had  never  been  a  service  in  the  camp.  The 
mess  room  was  crowded  and  they  all  sang  splendidly. 

Though  this  town  is  in  Nevada  I  thought  I  had  better  not 
go  through  without  giving  the  Bishop  of  Nevada  a  lift.  I  had 
to  come  into  Nevada  and  then  back  to  Utah  to  reach  the  mine. 
When  I  came  back  to  Tacoma  I  found  they  had  had  no  meet- 
ings except  once  a  year,  when  the  Roman  priest  comes  and  so 
I  thought  instead  of  going  back  to  Salt  Lake  at  one  p.m.  I'd  wait 
for  the  two  a.m.  train  and  hold  a  service  in  the  little  school 
house.  I  got  the  key  from  Mr.  Catlin  who  is  a  trustee,  put  up 
notices  in  the  Post  office  and  store  and  told  all  the  people. 
That  wasn't  hard  for  there  are  not  a  dozen  houses  in  the  poor 
desolate  little  place.  After  supper,  I  dusted  out  the  room,  built 
a  fire,  borrowed  some  lamps,  and  at  eight  o'clock  rang  the  bell 
and  put  on  my  robes.  For  ten  minutes  nobody  came  and  then 
three  people  and  a  baby.  So  I  began.  After  a  bit,  two  children 
arrived  and  when  I  was  half  through  the  sermon  another  man 
came  in.  It  really  didn't  seem  to  have  been  much  appreciated 
but  I  congratulated  myself  upon  having  done  my  duty,  and  I 
felt  that  I'd  not  lost  much  time  as  the  two  a.m.  train  reaches 
Salt  Lake  before  nine  a.m.  so  I'd  still  have  a  full  day  there.     The 


2o8  FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 

railroad  agent  promised  to  wake  me  up  for  half  an  hour  before 
train  time  and  so  I  got  a  room  and  went  to  bed.  My  room  was 
supposed  to  be  one  of  the  best,  No.  i,  but  it  was  easy  to  see  I 
wasn't  the  first  to  lie  between  the  sheets  on  that  bed.  My  feet 
ran  against  something  rough  which  I  first  thought  was  the  tag 
end  of  the  coarse  blanket  but  I  put  down  my  hand  and  fished 
out  a  filthy  dirty  pair  of  old  socks  which  I  supposed  the  last 
lodger  had  kicked  off.  I  had  rather  a  hard  time  going  to  sleep. 
Well,  to  end  the  story  the  railroad  man  forgot  to  call  me  and  so 
I  am  rewarded  for  my  virtue  by  having  to  stay  in  this  forsaken 
place  until  one,  not  reaching  Salt  Lake  until  seven  p.m.  where 
there  are  a  thousand  things  I  ought  to  do. 

I  wonder  whether  it  pays  to  be  good.  I  have  lost  twenty-four 
hours  of  most  valuable  time  just  because  I  held  service  in  the 
little  town  where  it  wasn't  appreciated.  I've  a  book  to  read 
and  perhaps  I  can  think  out  a  sermon. 

When  he  had  left,  the  miners  of  their  own  accord  took 
up  a  collection  of  $52.50  and  sent  it  to  him  with  the  request 
that  he  use  it  for  himself.  "Isn't  that  remarkable?  It 
comes  in  very  handy  for  there  has  been  no  money  in  the 
Bishop's  Charity  Fund  for  some  time." 

There  were  camps  where  the  Church  had  been  planted 
and  then  died.  A  living,  hustling  mining  camp  after  a 
time  becomes  a  sad,  discouraged  place.  After  the  mines 
have  become  exhausted  or  have  been  shut  down  because 
the  water  could  not  be  pumped  out,  or  the  ore  is  too  low 
grade  for  profitable  treatment,  all  the  capitalists  and  well- 
paid  laborers  leave.  A  few  merchants,  a  few  prospectors, 
or  some  who  own  mines  or  prospects  and  with  difficulty 
keep  up  their  assessment,  work  and  live  on  in  the  hope  of 
making  a  profitable  sale,  a  saloon  keeper  or  two  —  these 
with  the  women  and  children  remain.  There  is  usually  a 
school  house  and  sometimes  an  unexpectedly  large  number 


THE    CHURCH   IN   THE   MINING   CAMP  209 

of  pupils.  The  Episcopal  Church  has  usually  departed 
with  the  capitalists.  The  Methodist  Church  lingers  on  in 
some  places,  with  a  cheaper  minister,  until  at  last  there  is 
no  church  at  all.  Some  lay  saint  will  keep  the  Sunday 
school  going  just  as  long  as  possible,  and  read  the  service 
at  funerals,  and  prepare  the  abandoned  church  for  a  service 
when  the  bishop  or  other  wandering  evangelist  comes. 

E.  &  P.  R.R. 
May  23,  1906. 

That  isn't  Erie  and  Pittsburg,  though  it  looks  like  it  but 
Eureka  &  Palisade,  a  little  narrow  gauge  train.  I  am  the  only 
passenger  except  the  President  of  the  Rebekah  Lodge  who  is 
going  about  cheering  and  strengthening  the  sisters.  I'll  have 
to  stop  now  until  the  next  stop  for  the  E.  &  P.  isn't  the  smooth- 
est train  in  the  world. 

I  didn't  try  to  call  on  all  the  people  for  there  wasn't  time. 
In  spite  of  the  rain  and  cold  we  had  a  pretty  good  congregation. 
But  the  singing  was  awful.  Among  the  remains  of  the  past, 
when  there  were  thousands  of  people  in  the  town  and  the  church 
was  booming,  are  some  copies  of  musical  settings  to  the  canticles. 
Two  women  sang  them,  taking  the  base,  tenor,  contralto  and 
soprano  and  doing  the  chorus  as  well.  They  have  forgotten  in 
Eureka  when  to  stand  up  and  when  to  sit  down ;  they  had  only 
old  prayer  books  and  no  one  knew  the  evening  prayer  responses 
after  the  first  two  and  till  the  last  two.  There  is  an  old  Presby- 
terian minister  there  now.  He  is  on  the  pension  list  and  so  can 
afford  to  stay  on  a  small  salary,  though  we  have  more  members 
than  they  have.  The  train  has  stopped  so  few  times  I  can't 
write  a  long  letter.     I  had  a  baptism  and  a  confirmation. 

As  no  one  was  able  to  tell  when  one  of  those  dead  towns 
might  rise  from  the  dead  it  troubled  Bishop  Spalding  to 
know  what  to  do.  Pioche,  Nevada,  had  once  been  a  live 
camp.     When  the  ore  failed  and  mining  so  far  from  the 


2IO  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

railroad  did  not  pay,  the  rectory  was  sold  and  the  church 
taken  down  and  moved  to  a  more  promising  town.  Then 
with  the  building  of  the  railroad,  the  old  mines  of  Pioche 
were  opened.  When  Bishop  Spalding  began  work  in  Utah, 
Pioche  was  a  live  town  again  and  needed  a  new  church  and 
rectory.     There  were  also  new  camps  springing  up. 

Manhattan,  Nev. 
May  30. 

Manhattan  is  a  wonderful  place.  In  January  there  was  noth- 
ing here  at  all  and  now,  though  most  of  the  people  live  in  tents, 
there  are  well  built  houses  too  and  I  have  a  comfortable  room 
in  the  Nevada  Hotel. 

Tonopah,  June  2. 

I  went  to  Goldfield  last  night  and  had  service  in  the  Masonic 
Hall.  I  took  up  the  collection  for  missions  $15.65.  Bishop  A. 
made  a  very  unfavorable  impression  at  Goldfield.  They  felt 
if  he  would  encourage  them  and  promise  some  help  they  might 
get  going  at  a  time  when  there  was  no  Protestant  church  in 
town,  but  he  said,  "This  isn't  my  business.  The  spiritual 
privileges  you  want  are  for  you,  not  for  me ;  if  you  want  them 
you'll  have  to  pay  for  them!"  This  doesn't  sound  very  sym- 
pathetic, does  it  ? 

Doubtless  that  bishop  held  the  theory,  shared  by  many  in 
the  East,  that  money  should  be  spent  on  places  in  propor- 
tion as  they  are  likely  ultimately  to  become  self-supporting 
and  permanent  communities.  "This,"  wrote  Spalding, 
"cuts  out  the  mining  camp.  However  wise  such  a  policy 
may  be  there  are  exceptions.  We  know  that  in  a  college 
town  students  will  remain  but  a  short  time,  but  we  realize 
the  great  importance  of  influencing  them  while  we  can. 
A  hospital  is  not  a  place  where  men  live,  but  we  put  into 
our  hospitals  a  chaplain  who  tries  to  cure  soul  as  well  as 


THE   CHURCH   IN   THE   MINING   CAMP  211 

body.  Into  every  mining  camp  the  Church  should  go, 
realizing  that  she  has  a  chance  to  win  for  God  hundreds  of 
men.  They  are  our  brothers  and  sisters  and  they  need 
us."  He  believed  that  in  the  new  camps,  even  at  their  worst, 
there  was  a  respect  for  law  and  order  and  a  regard  for  life 
and  property  unknown  on  the  frontier  forty  years  before. 
This  was  because  of  the  work  of  the  Church  in  the  past,  in 
the  old  camps  from  which  the  new  arrivals  came.  The 
Church  must  follow  those  people  and  stand  by  them,  and 
they  will  stand  for  her. 

Sep.  25,  1906. 

At  Silverton  most  of  the  leading  ladies  of  the  Guild  have 
adopted  Christian  Science.  "We  have  been  spiritually  starved," 
said  their  President,  "and  had  to  have  some  food."  We  may 
win  them  back  if  we  can  only  get  a  good  man.  I  wonder  why 
we  can't  be  as  earnest  in  teaching  the  truth  as  these  Christian 
Scientists  are  in  teaching  their  poor,  shallow,  partial  philosophy. 
Most  of  them  didn't  come  to  church,  because  they  couldn't 
stay  to  communion.  They  have  risen  beyond  the  need  of  sym- 
bols. I  visited  them  all  one  by  one  and  listened  to  the  rub- 
bish. It  is  pathetic  how  they  are  taken  in.  The  President  will 
not  leave  the  Church  and  she  is  going  to  read  the  books  I  send. 
I  think  I  helped  her  see  a  good  bit  of  truth.  I  never  realized 
before  what  utter  rot  the  "Science"  is.  The  holy,  precious 
thoughts  in  Mrs.  Eddy's  book  she  showed  me,  were  so  illogical, 
untrue,  a  constant  confusion  of  thought  by  using  words  in  dif- 
ferent senses.  As  far  as  drugs  are  concerned,  however,  I'm  a 
Christian  Scientist  myself.  The  whole  Christian  Science  phi- 
losophy seems  to  me  to  depend  on  a  false  idea  of  the  love  of  God. 
They  think  God's  love  is  a  kind  which  relieves  us  of  work  and 
pain  and  struggle.     But  it  did  not  relieve  Christ. 

I  rode  horse-back  to  Ouray.  Pretty  good  congregation  and 
two  confirmed.  I  spent  next  morning  calling  and  at  one  started 
back  on  horse  back  for  Silverton,  twenty-four  miles,  and  arrived 


212  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

six  thirty-five.     In  Ouray  are  thirty-eight  communicants  and  no 

clergyman. 

Tonopah 

April  i,  1907. 

The  church  was  crowded  at  both  services.  Johnes  is  doing 
well  and  is  a  good  mixer.  The  church  is  very  pretty  and  com- 
plete and  the  chancel  is  beautiful.  It  might  be  a  little  larger 
in  its  seating  capacity  and  yet  perhaps  it  will  take  care  of  all 
who  come.  The  Ladies'  Guild  voted  me  one  hundred  dollars  be- 
cause I  hadn't  taken  the  offering  yesterday  but  let  it  go  to  the 
debt. 

The  consecration  service  is  arranged  for  to-morrow.  On 
Wednesday  I  am  to  have  a  lecture  on  Socialism  for  the  miners' 
union  and  expect  to  have  an  exciting  time,  for  the  feeling  is 
running  high  and  I  may  be  able  to  do  some  real  good. 

Rhyolite, 
April  9,  1909. 

We  had  two  services  to-day  in  the  Masonic  Hall  which  holds 
about  sixty  people.  A.  M.  Keene  and  his  wife  are  fine  Church 
people  and  he  used  to  be  a  lay  reader  in  Wyoming.  I  went 
calling  yesterday  with  Mr.  Keene.  There  are  two  girls  who 
went  to  Wolfe  Hall.  The  proprietor  of  the  Mayflower  Hotel 
knew  father  in  Pueblo  years  ago.  We  have  organized  St. 
Thomas'  Mission.  It's  like  Thomas  —  a  little  doubtful  at  the 
start  but  we  hope  it  will  come  strong  in  the  end. 

I  wish  we  had  a  good  man  for  southern  Nevada,  though  the 
trouble  is  that  each  town  is  such  a  tough  proposition  that  a 
man  would  have  to  give  it  all  his  time,  and  yet  there  are  not 
enough  people  to  justify  that. 

Las  Vegas,  April  12,  1910. 

The  service  last  night  was  the  first  Church  service  ever  held 
in  Las  Vegas.  I  wish  I  could  stay  down  here  for  six  months  as 
Bishop  Tuttle  stayed  in  Montana  towns,  I  believe  I  could  get  a 
couple  of  churches  built,  though  perhaps  the  interest  is  only  due 


THE   CHURCH  IN   THE   MINING   CAMP  213 

to  the  fact  that  I'm  a  novelty  and  do  not  stay.  I  am  visiting 
about  twice  as  many  points  as  I  did  last  time  I  came  to  Nevada, 
and  that  means  more  places  to  be  revisited. 

Bishops  tell  big  lies  about  men.  I  guess  Bishop  Funsten 
thinks  I've  lied  about  A.,  for  I've  found  out  more  things  about 
him  than  I  ever  suspected  when  I  recommended  him  to  him. 
But  what  is  one  to  do  to  get  rid  of  a  poor  man,  or  one  who  is 
not  adapted  to  the  place?  You  must  always  hope  that  he  will 
do  better  somewhere  else. 

I  hope  Mr.  Gray  who  is  coming  from  Cambridge  may  settle 
here  and  build  a  church,  for  the  place  will  be  permanent  and 
probably  grow  steadily. 

Pioche,  Nevada 
April  14. 

The  Court  room  was  packed  and  they  put  the  children  behind 
me,  up  near  the  judge's  desk.  There  were  17  boys  and  16  girls 
and  they  moved  about  a  good  deal,  though  on  the  whole  they 
behaved  pretty  well.  There  were  a  lot  of  babies  in  the  congre- 
gation. The  people  would  not  leave  the  windows  open  for  good 
air.  Just  when  I  was  trying  my  best  to  preach  my  hardest 
they  brought  to  the  jail,  which  isn't  six  feet  away,  a  drunken 
man  who  hollered  "murder"  and  a  number  of  men  had  to  get 
up  and  go  to  the  door  to  see,  while  I  lost  the  attention  of  every- 
body. It  was  hard  work  getting  it  back  again.  They  thought 
there  was  a  fire,  which  is  indeed  a  serious  thing  in  a  mining  camp. 

This  is  an  old  deserted  camp  which  is  waking  up  and  may  be 
a  good  camp  again. 

Gold  Spring, 
April  17. 

At  Gold  Spring  the  only  place  in  which  to  hold  service  was 
the  school  house,  a  tent  twelve  by  fourteen.  We  got  twenty 
chairs  in  and  had  a  congregation  of  thirty- two,  nearly  half  the 
population.  The  music  was  led  by  a  phonograph.  It  was 
quite  grand  to  be  singing  "Abide  with  me"  with  "the  Mendels- 
sohn Quartet  of  New  York."     "Nearer  my  God  to  Thee"  was 


214  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

a  little  high  but  we  made  it  with  an  effort.  It  was  the  first 
religious  service  ever  held  in  the  place.  Truly  we  are  in  the 
West  because  they  need  us,  not  because  they  want  us.  Mighty 
little  enthusiasm  here  or  at  Fay  and  I  couldn't  get  the  boarding 
house,  which  was  the  best  place  here,  for  the  manager  and  his 
wife  said  it  would  be  too  much  trouble  to  move  the  table  in  and 
out.     They  are  Christian  Scientists. 

who   has   taken  me    in    here,    is  an    agnostic,    full    of 

Spencer,  etc.,  and  won't  have  the  children  baptized  for  there  is 
no  sense  in  it.  We  had  a  friendly  argument  and  he  said  I  made 
out  a  more  sensible  case  for  it  than  he  had  heard  before. 

I  went  through  the  mine  and  the  mill  and  they  seem  to  have 
a  lot  of  ore  which  runs  twenty  or  thirty  dollars  to  the  ton  gold. 

Caliente,  April  20. 

Last  night  a  new  distraction  presented  itself.  Usually  the 
babies  are  hard  to  compete  against  but  last  night  there  were 
two  dogs,  and  one  of  them  during  my  sermon  amused  himself 
by  standing  on  his  hind  legs  and  walking  up  and  down  the  aisle 
just  in  front  of  me.     I  had  hard  work  keeping  my  face  straight. 

I  gave  my  lecture  on  Socialism  on  Monday  night  to  so  fine 
and  attentive  a  congregation  that  it  was  a  pleasure  to  speak. 
In  the  afternoon  I  got  the  Ladies'  Guild  organized  and  they 
will  keep  up  the  Sunday  school.  I  baptized  two  children. 
Both  have  saloon  keepers  for  fathers ;   I  hope  it  will  do  good. 

Battle  Mountain,  May  21. 

The  people  come  out  so  well  and  Mr.  Thomas  is  doing  so 
splendidly  that  it  is  inspiring.  The  new  church  here  is  going 
to  be  very  nice.  The  corner  stone  is  to  be  laid  to-morrow, 
rather  a  curious  thing,  for  the  church  is  nearly  finished  except 
the  corner  where  the  stone  is  to  go  in. 

About  thirty  miles  west  of  here  we  had  the  first  service  held 
for  years.  There  was  a  good  crowd  in  the  hall  though  I'm 
afraid  most  of  the  men  went  back  to  drinking  and  gambling  as 
soon  as  it  was  over.     At  Palisade  a  man  was  at  church  and  after 


THE   CHURCH   IN    THE   MINING   CAMP 


215 


service  was  over,  he  got  drunk,  bought  two  bottles  of  whiskey, 
and  was  killed  on  the  way  home  by  the  rail-road  —  a  terrible 
sequence,  for  the  service  can  have  done  him  little  good. 

Bishop  Spalding  believed  that  the  Church  must  be  repre- 
sented in  a  mining  camp  first  of  all  by  men.  "It  all  de- 
pends upon  getting  the  right  man.  A  poor,  puny  ritualist 
would  not  be  much  better  than  the  graduates  of  the  Moody 
Bible  School  who  are  in  charge  of  some  Congregational 
Churches."  The  men,  then,  must  have  a  message  they 
believe  in,  and  without  cant  or  indifference  are  living  them- 
selves the  life  they  recommend.  One  of  the  weaknesses 
of  the  work  in  mining  camps  is  the  timidity  of  the  start. 
It  takes  capital  to  go  into  the  mining  business,  and  the 
Church  must  put  in  the  capital  to  back  up  the  man.  "The 
saloon  has  lights,  shelter  for  the  homeless  men.  Let  the 
Church  open  her  reading  room.  Dance  halls  and  cheap, 
low  theatres  are  inviting  patronage.  Let  the  Church  pro- 
vide decent  and  healthful  recreation.  The  mining  camp 
knows  no  distinction  between  Sunday  and  week  day,  and 
if  the  men  have  a  chance  and  real  inducements  are  given, 
they  will  come  to  worship,  or  to  hear  a  lecture,  or  to  listen 
to  good  music  any  night  in  the  week." 

The  capital  which  Spalding  possessed  and  was  most 
willing  to  invest  in  this  enterprise  was  his  own  virile  man- 
hood and  a  message  he  believed  in  and  lived  out ;  one  thing 
more  —  he  had  the  ability  to  lecture.  At  one  place  men 
came  to  him  and  said  that  they  were  glad  to  hear  him 
preach,  but,  since  they  had  no  entertainments,  would  he 
not  after  preaching  give  a  lecture.  He  had  only  two 
lectures  at  that  time  which  seemed  to  meet  the  situation ; 
one  was  on  " Spiritualism "  and  the  other  on  "Christian 
Socialism,"  lectures  he  had  given  in  Erie.  This  lecture  on 
Socialism  seemed  to  strike  a  popular  need  and  he  was 


2l6  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

requested  to  give  it  again  and  again  in  the  mining  camps. 
Labor  conditions  are  bound  to  be  uncertain  in  mining 
camps,  because  every  miner  knows  just  what  the  value  of 
the  output  is,  something  that  his  brother  toiler  in  other 
industries  does  not  know,  and  about  nine-tenths  of  the 
alleged  capitalists  are  gamblers  and  misrepresent  rather 
than  represent  capital.  When  therefore  a  man  appeared 
who  seemed  to  think  straight  and  to  have  the  courage  of 
his  convictions,  the  miners  eagerly  turned  to  him  for  light 
upon  their  economic  problems.  To  Bishop  Spalding  this 
move  on  the  part  of  the  men,  many  of  whom  he  had  never 
before  been  able  to  reach,  seemed  to  be  a  great  opportunity 
for  the  representative  of  the  Church  to  stand  for  justice 
and  restraint  and  help  others  to  do  so. 

When  his  mother  read  that  he  had  been  speaking  on  Social- 
ism, she  expressed  the  fear  that  he  would  be  misunderstood. 
He  replied,  May  25,  1908,  "The  Socialism  doesn't  seem  to 
endanger  my  standing,  for  you  see,  here  is  an  invitation  to 
a  big  church  on  the  strength  of  it,  though  I'm  not  to  blame 
for  all  the  talk  in  that  direction  for  I  definitely  declined  those 
invitations  and  I  have  refused  to  sign  any  of  their  papers  or 
be  associated  with  the  movement  officially,  so  don't  worry." 
A  letter  had  appeared  in  the  Salt  Lake  papers  criticizing 
him  for  showing  interest  in  Socialism,  and  the  Socialists 
elsewhere,  following  up  this  clue,  invited  him  to  write 
for  their  publication  and  to  speak  at  their  convention. 
Spalding  became,  as  we  have  seen,  a  Socialist  in  Erie,  be- 
lieving in  a  new  social  order  based  upon  cooperation  in 
place  of  competition,  but  further  than  that  he  had  not  gone 
until  he  came  to  grips  with  the  workingmen  in  the  mining 
camps.  As  he  knew  from  his  parishioners,  the  workingmen 
in  Erie,  their  industrial  problem,  so  he  learned  in  the 
mining  camps  from   the  miners  themselves  the  situation 


THE   CHURCH   IN   THE   MINING   CAMP  217 

confronting  them.  Spalding's  approach  to  the  social 
question  led  partly  through  theories  and  books  but  chiefly 
through  men  and  facts.  The  Communist  Manifesto  which 
he  read  at  this  time  brought  truth  and  hope.  It  made 
him  see  that  social  salvation  might  come  through  the 
masses.  He  believed  for  a  long  time  that  the  Christian 
Church  exists  for  the  sole  purpose  of  saving  the  human  race. 
So  far  she  had  failed  but  Socialism  as  taught  by  Wm. 
Liebknecht's  "No  Compromise,"  showed  him  how  she 
might  succeed. 

Myton,1  Utah,  Oct.  22,  1908. 

I  had  a  service  every  night  but  one,  and  then  I  gave  a  popular 
lecture  on  my  trip  abroad  which  they  seemed  to  enjoy,  and  so 
I've  arranged  with  the  Mormon  Bishop  to  give  it  to  the  people 
in  the  State  House  on  Monday  night.  These  people  don't 
have  much  in  the  way  of  entertainment  and  I  thought  it  would 
do  them  more  good  than  a  sermon. 

I  had  a  successful  time  in  Theodore  except  financially.  In 
the  morning  I  confirmed  a  nice  woman  and  had  Holy  Communion 
for  her  and  one  other  faithful  woman.  At  two  I  attended  guild 
meeting  —  there  were  only  four  members  —  and  helped  tie  a 
quilt.  Then  at  four  under  the  auspices  of  the  "Local"  I  gave 
a  lecture  on  "  socialism "  to  a  good  big  crowd,  and  at  night  we 
had  the  hall  full  and  a  number  of  "Comrades"  heard  some 
religion.  My  lecture  on  "Christianity  and  Socialism"  seemed 
to  bring  out  the  people  and  I  hope  I  put  enough  Christianity  in 
to  make  it  useful  to  the  Church  as  well  as  to  the  state. 

D.  &  G.  R.,  Sep.  3. 

There  was  a  cloud  burst  or  something  like  it  which  made  the 
little  Price  River  a  raging  torrent  and  simply  cut  out  of  exist- 

1  Some  of  the  towns  were  not  mining  camps.  But  the  letter  postmarked 
at  those  places  refer  to  the  subject  of  this  chapter,  and  are  used  for  that 
reason  in  this  place. 


2l8  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

ence  a  piece  of  the  road  bed.  There  were  eight  trains  blocked 
on  the  west  side  and  nine  on  the  east  and  so  it  was  great  ex- 
citement meeting  them  and  counting  them  up.  Their  pas- 
sengers shouted  to  us  that  they  were  glad  we  were  out  of  the 
way  and  we  shouted  to  them  that  they  were  the  interferers 
with  traffic.  However,  at  Helper  Mr.  Shepherd,  the  Secretary 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  his  good  wife  gave  me  a  fine  supper  and 
I  had  a  splendid  congregation.  It  was  mighty  good  of  the  men 
to  come  for  they  were  tired  out  with  all  the  extra  work  and 
irregular  hours. 

This  Mr.  Shepherd,  the  heroic  worker  among  railroad 
men,  said  to  the  writer  in  August,  1916,  "Bishop  Spalding ! 
There  was  a  man  whom  the  boys  loved.  I  could  pack 
the  hall  for  him  any  time  of  day  or  night  on  an  hour's  notice 
when  he  would  speak,  and  such  a  preacher !  I  never  heard 
the  Gospel  put  as  that  man  preached  it."  Spalding  has 
been  criticized  by  those  who  knew  nothing  of  his  untiring 
toil,  for  neglecting  his  chief  work  in  the  interest  of  Socialism. 
As  his  letters  show  conclusively,  he  was  primarily  a  preacher 
and  missionary,  and  lectured  only  because  he  could  reach 
men  that  way.  "It  seems  a  good  idea,"  he  wrote,  "to  get 
up  lectures  for  the  people  who  do  not  go  to  church,  both 
as  a  means  of  getting  a  chance  to  talk  to  them  and  also 
to  advertise  the  church  services."  In  mining  and  rail- 
road towns  where  the  work  is  continuous,  one  shift  of 
men  is  always  off  duty.  If  men  could  be  reached  at 
all,  the  day  was  as  the  night.  So  we  find  him  lecturing 
and  preaching  at  all  hours. 

"We  had  a  splendid  service  at  Helper  last  night  —  more 
attended  the  service  than  the  lecture."  On  Feb.  8,  1900, 
he  writes,  "  I'm  to  have  two  services  to-morrow  and  am  to 
lecture  on  Socialism  on  Monday  night.  I  ought  to  have 
a  chance  to  speak  to  some  non-Church  goers.  " 


THE    CHURCH   IN    THE   MINING   CAMP  219 

Theodore,  Feb.  9,  1910. 

The  scheme  to  speak  on  Socialism  one  night  if  all  the  Social- 
ists would  come  to  church  worked  well,  for  we  had  the  biggest 
crowd  I  ever  had  here  —  very  nearly  the  entire  population,  I 
think.  The  socialist  meeting  was  fine  and  the  subject  gives  me 
a  chance  to  work  in  a  few  observations  on  the  false  socialism  of 
the  Mormon  Church.  In  my  lecture  on  spiritualism  I  have  a 
chance  to  expose  tactfully  mediums  and  psychics  like  J.  Smith. 
I  lecture  at  one  to-day.  I  am  staying  with  A.  He  is  the  pub- 
lisher and  editor  of  the  B.  Record  —  the  brightest  paper  in  this 
part  of  the  country.  They  live  in  two  rooms,  husband  and 
wife  and  two  children,  and  I  have  a  cot  in  the  general  room 
(dining  room,  sitting  room  and  kitchen).  I  got  up  first  this 
morning  and  built  the  fire.  Then  he  got  up  and  together  we 
went  to  the  office  and  started  the  fire  there  while  Mrs.  W.  and 
the  two  boys  were  dressing.  Yet  she  is  always  happy  and 
cheerful. 

The  worst  thing  about  traveling  this  time  of  year  is  the  diffi- 
culty of  keeping  clean,  for  you  can't  take  a  bath  in  a  lard  pail 
of  water  and  that  is  about  as  much  as  you  can  keep  melted. 
I'm  beginning  to  look  forward,  not  only  to  seeing  Sarah,  but  to 
the  bath  tub.  After  lunch  I  had  a  chat  with  some  Socialist 
comrades,  for  they  seem  always  more  numerous  than  Christian 
disciples.  I'm  to  go  to  the  Guild  this  afternoon  and  get  the 
Mission  Study  class  started.  They  have  eight  members  and 
have  the  books  you  ordered  sent  to  them.  They  are  very 
nice  earnest  women  and  most  enthusiastic.  We  simply  must  try 
to  help  them  build  a  church  this  year. 

Randlett,  Feb.  12. 

I  got  my  mail  on  my  return  here  and  your  letters  were  most 
welcome.  Somebody  who  signs  his  name  Anglican  has  written 
a  very  hot  letter  about  my  address  I  made  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
I  suppose  after  being  set  up  by  the  five  years  anniversary,  etc., 
it  is  good  to  be  humbled  with  the  information  that  I  am  a  no- 
toriety seeker.     I  wonder  who  it  can  be,  for  he  is  so  personal 


2  20  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

that  it  must  be  somebody  who  hates  me  right  bitterly.  Mr. 
Wood's  letters  are  more  serious  and  I  will  answer  both  as  care- 
fully and  humbly  as  I  can.  I  suppose  Sarah  sent  you  the  "  Inter- 
Mountain  Catholic"  with  its  attack  on  me.  The  address  was 
at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  Roman  Church  dislikes  that  insti- 
tution so  much  that  I  guess  they  were  looking  for  a  chance. 

Clouds  were  gathering  upon  Bishop  Spalding's  horizon. 
The  Pope,  because  of  the  attitude  of  Socialists  toward  the 
State  Church  in  Europe,  had  fulminated  against  Socialism ; 
and  therefore,  forsooth,  every  Roman  priest  and  paper  in 
America  must  fight  Socialism.  There  are  always  a  few 
Protestants  willing  to  do  the  bidding  of  the  Roman  Church 
by  writing  anonymous  letters  or  doing  other  dishonorable 
things.  But,  what  was  far  more  serious,  in  his  own  com- 
munion were  men  who  wanted  him  to  stick  to  the  simple 
Gospel;  by  which  they  meant  a  Gospel  which  in  no  way 
challenged  their  economic  position.  They  were  willing 
to  support  him  so  long  as  he  organized  Women's  Guilds, 
Mission  Study  classes,  Girls'  Friendly  Societies  and  held 
services  attended  by  women  and  children.  But  when  he, 
fisher  of  men  that  he  had  been  commissioned  by  Christ 
to  be,  went  for  men,  with  the  kind  of  bait  men  were  hungry 
for,  these  supporters  of  churches  and  contributors  to  mis- 
sions made  their  voice  heard  in  places  of  authority.  When 
Bishop  Spalding  accepted  the  bishopric  he  thought  that 
it  would  give  him  freedom  to  say  things  which  he  found 
difficult  to  say  in  a  parish.  He  was  to  find  that  the  same 
influences  surround  all  ministers  whether  in  one  kind  of 
work  or  another.  For  true  it  is,  as  Spalding  himself  said, 
"  that  the  man  who  does  the  conventional  work  among  the 
superintendents  and  their  families  does  not  touch  the  com- 
mon workmen,  while  the  man  who  reaches  the  common 
workmen  is  looked  at  with  suspicion  by  those  in  authority." 


THE   CHUKCH   IN    THE   MINING  CAMP  221 

To  His  Mother 

Eureka,  April  2,  191 1. 

Yesterday  I  had  a  fine  experience.  I  went  down  in  the 
Centennial  Eureka  mine  —  the  deepest  and  most  complete  in  the 
State.  We  walked  in  a  tunnel  seventeen  hundred  feet  and  then 
down  a  shaft  in  the  cage  seventeen  hundred  feet  further,  first 
going  up  to  the  top  five  hundred  feet  up  the  mountain  above 
the  level  of  the  tunnel.  Most  of  it  was  lighted  with  electricity. 
Down  at  the  bottom  they  are  driving  a  tunnel  six  hundred  feet 
through  useless  rock  in  the  hope  that  the  ore  body  which  they 
have  above  runs  down  that  far.  If  it  does  they  will  have  a 
great  fortune  for  it  is  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  between  this 
lower  tunnel  and  the  one  they  are  now  working  and  so  there 
will  be  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  ore  which  runs  from  thirty 
dollars  a  ton  up  to  thousands  silver,  gold,  copper,  and  some 
lead.  The  mine  belongs  to  the  U.  S.  Mining  Co.  and  the  Super- 
intendent is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  hospital  and  his  daughter 
did  my  typewriting.  That  is  an  illustration  of  the  way,  under 
the  present  capitalist  system,  the  men  who  do  the  work  with 
brains  and  hands,  do  not  get  the  profits,  for  X's  salary  isn't 
large  and  the  men  get  $2.25  to  3.50  a  shift  of  eight  hours.  The 
miners  in  Eureka  are  a  fine  lot  of  men,  many  of  them  owning 
their  own  houses.  The  trouble  is  that  they  are  mostly  English, 
and  there  is  no  disputing  the  fact  that  the  lower  class  English- 
man is  so  used  to  getting  his  Episcopal  religion  for  nothing  that 
he  gives  very  little.  I  am  to  hold  service  every  night  this  week. 
Mr.  B.  last  night  gave  out  this  notice,  "Bishop  Spalding  will 
continue  to  talk  until  next  Sunday  night."  I  do  seem  to  keep 
pretty  steadily  at  it. 

Eureka,  Feb.  22,  1912. 

I  hope  I  can  say  the  right  thing  at  the  Miners'  Union  to-night 
for  it  is  really  a  great  chance  to  plead  for  real  socialism  as  against 
a  fake  socialism  which  is  nearly  anarchy. 


222  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

To  His  Sister 

D.  &  R.  G.  R.R.  on  time 
March  18,  191 1. 

I  have  read  the  very  interesting  article  on  scientific  man- 
agement. Of  course  Mr.  Taylor  is  very  careful  to  insist  that  he 
is  quite  as  much  interested  in  discovering  methods  of  increas- 
ing the  efficiency  of  the  human  machine  for  the  benefit  of  the 
laborer  as  for  the  increased  profits  of  the  employer.  But  what 
guarantee  is  there  that  the  employer,  the  capitalist,  shall  not 
in  time  appropriate  all  the  advantages?  We  speak  of  "labor 
saving  machinery,"  but  the  fact  is  that  labor  saving  machinery 
has  done  far  more  to  increase  the  profits  of  capital  than  save  the 
toil  of  laborers.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  United  States 
is  in  theory  a  democracy,  not  a  benevolent  monarchy.  I  can- 
not see  what  guarantee  labor  has  that  it  will  continue  to  reap 
the  benefit  of  its  increased  efficiency.  The  insincerity  of  piece 
work  is  clearly  brought  out  in  the  article.  In  theory,  piece 
work  is  a  plan  to  enable  the  skilful  man  to  earn  more  money, 
but  in  practice  it  is  a  scheme  to  speed  up  the  human  machine 
and  then  lower  the  price  per  piece  so  that  more  product  will  be 
obtained  by  the  employer  for  the  same  number  of  hours  and  the 
same  wages.  In  just  the  same  way  the  more  efficient  laborer 
will  not  get  more  wages  for  handling  forty-seven  tons  of  pig 
iron  than  for  handling  twelve  tons  unless  a  kind  Mr.  Taylor 
sees  that  he  gets  it ;  so  long  as  Mr.  Taylor's  men  alone  know  and 
use  the  new  secret,  then  he  can  afford  to  be  just  and  generous. 
But  just  as  soon  as  rival  industries  use  the  new  methods  the 
competition  for  profits  will  result  in  the  same  exploitation  of 
labor  as  at  present.  I  cannot  therefore  see  how  this  weakens 
the  Socialist  demand  —  that  the  State,  for  the  common  good, 
own  all  the  means  of  production  —  at  all.  Indeed  the  histori- 
cal fact  that  when  the  invention  of  steam  gave  promise  of  great 
improvement  in  the  conditions  of  labor,  the  fact  that  present 
ownership  of  the  factories,  etc.,  resulted  in  capital  getting  all 
the  benefits  ought  to  warn  us  to-day  that  scientific  management, 


THE   CHURCH   IN   THE   MINING   CAMP  223 

unless  public  ownership  comes  first,  will  likewise  result  in  con- 
tinued low  wages  and  increased  great  fortunes. 

To  His  Mother 

Salt  Lake, 

May  12,  1911. 

Oh !  I  don't  know  what  my  duty  is.  I  haven't  told  anybody 
yet,  but  when  I  went  to  the  Oregon  Shortline  office  to  see  about 
my  railroad  pass,  Mr.  A.  who  has  always  attended  to  the  matter 
referred  me  to  Mr.  B.  up-stairs.  Mr.  B.  said,  "I  will  be  per- 
fectly frank  with  you.  You  made  a  speech  to  our  strikers  in 
which  you  seemed  to  favor  them  rather  than  the  company, 
and  therefore  we  have  decided  that  we  will  not  give  you  a  pass 
this  year."  I  told  him  that  of  course  he  would  understand  that 
I  could  not  surrender  my  right  to  free  speech  for  a  railroad  pass, 
and  that  from  now  on  I  would  pay  full  fare,  not  even  using  the 
half  fare  privilege  which  he  said  they  had  not  withdrawn  since 
it  was  a  general  commission  which  granted  such  privilege. 

So  you  see  that  I've  another  proof  of  our  present  competitive 
system.  I  wonder  whether  I'm  all  wrong  and  whether  I  ought 
to  settle  down  and  be  an  advocate  of  things  just  as  they  are. 
Of  course  you  must  say  nothing  about  that  because  it  would  be 
small  business  to  attack  them  on  such  a  personal  matter.  They 
have  a  right  to  withdraw  the  courtesy  if  they  please,  though 
the  fact  that  they  have  withdrawn  it  forces  me  to  see  that  there 
was  an  object  in  giving  it. 

To  His  Mother 

Salt  Lake 

Oct.  14. 
I  wonder  why  I  can't  be  like  Dr.  A.,  the  Methodist  Super- 
intendent. He  just  does  his  work,  looks  after  his  ministers  and 
feels  no  responsibility  for  changing  anything.  They  send  him 
the  money  and  all  he  has  to  do  is  to  spend  it  as  wisely  as  possible. 
He  didn't  care  whether  there  was  a  strike  at  Bingham  or  not ; 
all  he  wanted  was  a  committee  to  see  if  Church  property  couldn't 


224  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

be  exempted  in  Utah,  because  they  were  beginning  to  tax  rec- 
tories. He  has  a  lot  easier  time  than  I  do,  and  I  guess  does 
more  good.  Still  there  were  other  Christians  who  were  charged 
with  wanting  to  turn  the  world  upside  down,  weren't  there? 

The  storm  which  was  rising  because  of  his  lectures  on 
Socialism  for  the  miners  and  trainmen  broke  when  he  at- 
tempted to  work  out  his  idea  in  a  mining  town.  It  was  one 
thing  for  a  peripatetic  bishop  to  speak  to  working  men 
three  times  a  year  at  most,  and  quite  another  for  him  to 
organize  his  type  of  church  in  a  town  and  supply  it  with 
his  type  of  man.  In  April,  1908,  he  visited  Garfield, 
twenty-eight  miles  from  Salt  Lake,  where  a  property  capi- 
talized at  one  hundred  million,  was  being  developed  and 
where  crowds  were  flocking  in.  It  was  not  until  two  years 
later  that  he  found  it  possible  to  start  work  there. 

To  His  Mother 

Salt  Lake,  Feb.  21,  1910. 
At  2.55  I  went  to  Garfield.  The  Sunday  School  in  East  Gar- 
field is  doing  well  and  now  Mr.  Rice  has  been  asked  to  take  charge 
of  a  Sunday  School  in  Middle  Garfield  and  we  are  beginning 
in  the  town  site  proper.  Ultimately  I  suppose  houses  will  be 
built  in  Garfield  proper  for  all  the  hundreds  who  work  in  the  three 
great  plants.  The  Utah  Copper,  the  Boston  Consolidated,  and 
the  American  Smelter  are  strung  along  the  lake  shore  for  six 
miles,  the  town  being  in  the  middle.  Now  only  about  half  live 
in  the  company  houses  in  the  town  and  the  rest  live  in  little 
temporary  shacks  they  have  built  near  their  work.  We  have 
built  a  shack  too  at  the  Utah  Copper  and  there  are  about  fifty 
in  the  Sunday  School.  A  man  named  Jackson,  just  a  laboring 
man,  started  a  Sunday  School  at  the  Boston  Consolidated,  but 
he  has  asked  Mr.  Rice  to  do  that  now  and  Rice  has  started  even- 
ing meetings  in  the  Odd  Fellows  Hall  in  Garfield,  and  it  was  to 


THE    CHURCH   IN    THE    MINING    CAMP  225 

address  this  meeting  I  went  out.  It  turned  out  a  bad  night 
but  we  had  a  pretty  good  crowd  all  the  same.  The  Baptists 
began  work  in  Garfield  ahead  of  us  and  I  don't  want  to  seem  to 
be  competing  with  them  and  yet  I  do  feel  that  sometime  we  must 
have  a  church  there. 

Rev.  Maxwell  W.  Rice,  whom  Spalding  sent  to  Garfield, 
was  from  the  East,  where  his  father  was  a  professor  at  Wil- 
liams College.     A  Williams  College  and  Cambridge  Sem- 
inary graduate  he  had  offered  himself  to  Bishop  Spalding 
after  two  years  work  at  St.  George's,  New  York.     Spald- 
ing, doubtless  with  Rice  in  mind,  once  told  the  writer  that 
he  preferred  men  who  had  served  in  such  churches  because 
they  knew  how  to  tackle  problems  and  were  not  confused 
by  new  situations.     Rice,  brought  up  in  comfort  and  refine- 
ment, went  into  Garfield  and  lived  in  the  bunk  house  with 
the  men.     He  and  several  of  the  men  built  the  shack, 
to  which  the  letter  alludes,  with  their  own  hands,  roofing 
it  with  corrugated  iron  under  a  sun  which  beat  down  upon 
the  treeless  plain  until  their  hands  were  blistered.     But, 
though  built  by  them  with  money  which  Rice  got  from 
Eastern  friends,  it  stood  upon  property  owned  by  the  Utah 
Copper  Company,  as  was  every  other  shack  in  "rag  town." 
There  the  work  began,  with  kindergarten,  Sunday  School, 
Women's  Guild,  Men's  Club,  and  religious  services  on  Sun- 
days and  Wednesdays.     Rice  identified  himself  with  all 
the  people  of  Garfield,  playing  tennis  with  the  men  in  the 
company's  office,  hiking  with  the  boys,  eating  with  the 
laboring  men.     In  every  way  he  was  superbly  equipped 
to  work  out  the  plan  Spalding  had  been  dreaming  of  since 
he  first  visited  the  mining  camp. 

One  day  a  group  of  twelve  young  men,  Scotch  and  Welsh 
miners,  asked  Rice  if  they  could  not  meet  after  the  evening 
service  on  Wednesday  night  in  the  mission  shack  and  study 

Q 


2  26  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

sociology.  Rice,  with  Spalding's  hearty  approval  gladly 
gave  the  permission,  and  the  club  met  several  times.  Word 
was  carried  to  the  officials  of  the  company  that  a  group  of 
Socialists  were  holding  meetings  on  company  property. 
The  resident  manager  was  immediately  given  orders  to 
refuse  to  allow  land  of  the  company  to  be  used  by  the  church 
for  any  such  purpose  and  to  discharge  any  employees  who 
attended  the  meetings. 

Bishop  Spalding,  as  was  his  manly  and  frank  way,  went 
straight  to  the  office  of  the  General  Manager.  He  had  a 
fine  sense  of  humor  and  it  served  him  in  this  critical  moment 
when  all  that  he  had  stood  for  and  been  advocating  for  years 
hung  in  the  balance.  "May  we  speak  with  the  man  in 
charge  of  the  religious  department,"  he  asked  of  that 
official.  The  manager  appreciated  the  humor  but  he  also 
was  facing  a  crisis,  for  he  was  simply  carrying  out  orders 
of  a  man  higher  up  who  lived  at  a  distance.  Spalding  and 
Rice  were  told  that  hereafter  the  company  would  lease  the 
ground  upon  which  the  mission  shack  stood  but  the  terms 
of  the  lease  were  to  state  that  the  church  should  always 
stand  on  the  side  of  the  company,  never  on  the  side  of  the 
working  man.  The  manager  declared  that  the  company 
had  a  hundred  million  dollars  at  stake  and  that  labor  condi- 
tions throughout  the  mining  regions  were  critical.  Then 
this  conversation  followed : 

Bishop.  "Would  you  object  to  the  church's  opening  a 
reading  room?"  Gen.  Mngr.  "No,  but  we  should  insist 
that  objectionable  papers  like  the  'Appeal  to  Reason' 
and  'The  Magazine  of  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners' 
should  not  be  allowed." 

Bishop.  "But  if  the  'Appeal  to  Reason'  were  given 
to  the  reading  room  by  local  Socialists  and  when  they 
inquired  why  it  was  not  placed  on  the  tables,  the  missionary 


THE    CHURCH    IN    THE   MINING    CAMP  227 

replied,  'Because  the  management  or  the  company  does 
not  approve  of  it,'  wouldn't  that  create  rather  than  allay 
discontent ?  "  Gen.  Mngr.  "That  would  be  a  very  tactless 
method  of  replying.  It  would  be  the  missionary's  duty  so  to 
reply  that  the  company  would  be  saved  from  criticism. 

Bishop.     "Would  you  object  to  a  debating  club?; 

Gen.  Mngr.  "No,  provided  no  debate  on  socialism  or 
labor  questions  would  be  allowed,  and  here  again  tact  should 
be  used  to  side  track  such  questions  if  they  were  proposed." 

"How,"  wrote  Spalding,  to  the  Secretaries  of  the  Joint 
Commission  on  Social  Service,  "can  the  Church  undertake 
work  in  a  town  under  such  limitations  as  to  her  freedom  of 
speech  ?  If  you  say  it  cannot,  then  I  ask,  is  nothing  to  be 
done  for  the  moral  and  spiritual  welfare  of  the  human 
beings  who  live  there  ?  " 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  faced  a  similar  problem  in  the  rail- 
road work  where  the  land  on  which  its  building  stands  is 
owned  by  the  company  and  where  the  company  pays  the 
salary  of  the  secretary.  The  secretary  is  instructed  to  be 
neutral  in  every  dispute  between  the  men  and  the  company ; 
under  no  circumstances  is  he  to  express  any  sympathy 
with  the  men  or  allow  the  building  to  be  used  to  discuss 
economic  or  social  problems;  its  service  must  be  limited 
to  "welfare"  work.  The  acceptance  of  a  subsidy  closes 
the  mouth  of  the  recipient.  Welfare  work  may  be  the  task 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  but  the  Church  of  Christ  must  be  God's 
prophet. 

To  a  Socialist  who  was  critical  of  what  he  did  in  Garfield 
and  sent  him  "The  Inside  of  the  Cup,"  Spalding  wrote: 

July,  1913. 

I  am  afraid  this  will  have  to  be  a  long  letter  and  first  about 
the  Garfield  matter.     There  is  nothing  about  Garfield  in  "The 


2  28  FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 

Inside  of  the  Cup."  In  the  first  place  the  men  with  whom  I 
had  to  deal  in  Utah  were  only  representatives.  They  can't 
help  themselves.  They  are  not  Mr.  Parr.  They  work  for 
salaries  —  big  ones  I'll  admit,  and  salaries  they  earn  because 
they  are  supposed  to  be  as  clever  as  Lawyer  Langmaid  in  keep- 
ing obstreperous  labor  leaders  and  meddling  parsons  in  their 
place.  But  if  John  Hodder  had  blamed  it  all  on  Mr.  Langmaid 
he  wouldn't  have  played  fair,  would  he?  Garfield's  Eldon  Parr 
is  I  suppose  Simon  Guggenheim.  It  helped  Mr.  Churchill  a 
lot  to  have  his  real  villain  where  he  could  lay  hands  on  him. 
Then  in  the  second  place  the  Bishop  of  Utah  hasn't  a  job  like 
John  Hodder.  I  don't  mean  that  he  must  behave  circumspectly 
because  others  depend  on  him.  The  McCrea  incident  covers 
that,  but  I  mean  that  a  bishop's  job  prevents  specialization. 
It  is  simply  absurd  what  we  have  to  try  to  do.  While  this 
Garfield  matter  was  on  I  had  the  following  duties  to  attend  to 
(a)  I  was  trying  to  keep  a  girls'  school  going ;  (b)  I  was  trying 
to  keep  a  hospital  in  peace.  The  cleverest  surgeon  on  the  staff 
didn't  like  the  head  nurse.  The  business  manager  would  spend 
more  money  than  we  could  afford,  &c,  &c.  (c)  We  were  plan- 
ning the  Men's  House  at  the  State  University.  It  involved  an 
expenditure  of  $25,000  given  me  to  use.  I  had  to  be  sure  the 
plans  were  O.  K.,  that  the  estimates  were  safe,  and  I  had  to 
persuade  men  to  be  on  the  building  committee  and  women  on 
a  furnishing  committee. 

(d)  I  was  bringing  out  a  Pamphlet  to  try  to  make  the  Mor- 
mons (after  all  they  are  the  main  job)  think.  It  took  four  years 
to  get  it  up.  The  idea  was  to  show  by  the  only  original  texts 
that  can  be  tested  that  Joseph  Smith  wasn't  a  reliable  trans- 
lator of  ancient  language. 

(e)  The  Indian  work  had  to  be  looked  after.  The  Agency 
was  moved  —  a  new  mission  house  had  to  be  arranged  for 
through  the  authorities  at  Washington. 

(f)  Because  there  are  so  few  missionaries  in  Utah  I  had  to 
try  to  be  general  missionary,  going  to  preach  where  I  could  get 
the  chance,  sometimes  away  from  home  three  weeks  at  a  time. 


THE    CHURCH   IN    THE    MINING    CAMP  229 

Well,  what  is  the  use  of  giving  in.  The  Bishop  of  Utah  has 
nothing  to  do  compared  with  the  Bishop  of  New  York  or  Massa- 
chusetts. This  is  an  age  of  specialists.  John  Hodder  was 
able  to  specialize  in  Dalton,  Ct.  I  wasn't  able  to  specialize  in 
Garfield.  The  man,  who  was  there  who  might  have  done  so 
and  whom  I  could  have  backed  up,  had  to  resign  and  go  to  Europe 
with  his  aged  parents.  The  only  man  I  could  find  to  take  his 
place  was  a  good  old  '  Dr.  Gilman.'  What  else  was  there  for  me 
to  do  but  let  this  elderly  clergyman  do  the  only  kind  of  work  he 
could  do  and  not  undervalue  it,  but  try  to  make  it,  by  encourag- 
ing him,  as  useful  as  it  could  be  made  to  the  people  in  Garfield 
who  would  probably  be  helped  by  it,  some  of  them  possibly; 
although  Garfield  is  not  quite  like  the  city  Mr.  Churchill  writes 
about.  In  Garfield  practically  nobody  cares  whether  there  is 
church  or  not.  The  Mormons  have  their  meeting  house,  very 
likely  their  church  owns  stock  in  the  company.  The  Non- 
Mormons  or  some  of  them  want  a  Sunday  School  for  the  children 
and  they  organized  that  themselves,  the  superintendent  being 
the  manager  of  the  company  store.  He  used  to  be  a  Camp- 
bellite  preacher.  When  it  was  proposed  to  locate  '  Dr.  Gilman  ' 
in  Garfield  I  saw  this  Sunday  School  superintendent  and  asked 
if  he  would  contribute  to  his  salary  and  ask  some  of  the  other 
people  to  do  the  same  —  making  the  local  contribution  at  least 
$25.00  per  month.  He  agreed  and  then  went  to  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  mine  and  together  they  arranged  to  make  the 
company  pay  it.  That  would  put  the  '  Rev.  Dr.  Gilman '  under 
obligations  to  the  company  and  at  the  same  time  enable  them 
to  get  their  religion  free.  You  will  ask :  "  How  about  the  workers 
themselves  —  don't  they  want  free  religion?"  No,  they  don't 
care  for  any  kind  of  religion.  We  couldn't  hold  out-door  meet- 
ings because  the  company  owned  streets,  vacant  lots  and  every- 
thing and  I  almost  doubt  whether  any  of  the  workers  would 
listen  to  the  man  who  made  a  try.  We  thought  of  building  a 
church  in  Pleasant  Green,  a  town  two  miles  outside  the  com- 
pany's land,  but  we  found  that  nobody  in  the  town  would  dream 
of  going  so  far  to  church.     '  Dr.  Gilman '  has  had  the  effect  of 


23O  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

interesting  the  company  in  those  men  in  certain  ways,  no  doubt 
insincere  ways,  but  ways.  They  have  opened  a  club  and  bath 
house  and  pay  a  man,  picked  out  by  '  Dr.  Gilman,'  $75.  a  month 
to  care  for  it.  They  have  laid  out  a  baseball  park  and  paid 
for  the  uniforms  for  the  Garfield  team.  The  men  are  quite 
willing  to  take  their  recreation  from  the  company  and  most  of 
them  would  be  quite  willing  to  take  their  religion,  if  they  wanted 
any  religion.  I  guess  that  is  degrading  the  word  "religion" 
and  I  will  withdraw  it  and  put  "church"  in  its  place.  We 
simply  must  believe  that  even  the  people  in  Garfield  are  reli- 
gious animals  like  the  rest  of  humanity,  but  just  how  it  expresses 
itself  I  don't  know.  You  ask  what  is  the  reaction  of  this  sort 
of  church  on  the  wage  earning  class-conscious  workers.  The 
only  hope  is  that  those  who  think  understand.  "War,  too,  is 
hell"  and  we  want  it  abolished,  but  while  it  lasts  there  must  be 
chaplains  and  red  cross  nurses,  and  so  long  as  they  comfort  the 
dying  and  nurse  the  injured  it  matters  very  little  which  side 
pays  their  wages.  I've  sometimes  wondered  whether  there  is 
in  a  company  town  like  Garfield  any  self  respect.  When  the 
wage  system  has  done  its  work  on  an  individual  or  group  of 
individuals  is  there  any  self  left  to  respect? 

No,  I  can't  see  that  I  had  any  other  course.  You  and  I  know 
that  "the  whole  head  is  sick  and  the  whole  heart  faint ;  from  the 
sole  of  the  foot  even  unto  the  head  there  is  no  soundness  in  it." 
I  could  have  published  the  whole  story.  It  might  have  been  a 
ten  days  wonder.  The  men  now  in  charge  might  have  lost  their 
jobs  and  smoother,  more  oily  Langmaids  been  put  in  their 
places,  but  would  it  really  have  helped  toward  the  destruction 
of  the  present  system  or  rather  would  it  really  have  hastened 
the  evolution  out  of  the  present  system?  I've  been  trying  to 
think  out  a  sermon.  It  might  be,  "Verily  I  say  unto  you  they 
have  received  their  reward."  It  is  repeated  three  times.  About 
alms  givers  who  are  doing  their  duty  to  their  fellow  men,  about 
prayers  who  are  doing  their  duty  to  God,  about  pastors  who  are 
trying  to  do  their  duty  to  themselves,  to  their  true  selves,  by 
subduing  the  flesh.     To  act  openly,  to  make  a  fuss  about  it, 


THE    CHURCH    IN    THE    MINING    CAMP  23 1 

to  attract  the  attention  of  the  world  means  nothing  permanent. 
It  brings  a  present  satisfaction.  It  enables  them  to  think  they 
have  done  a  big  thing  and  to  have  a  smug  content.  But  the  man 
who  counts  is  the  man  who  grows  strong  at  the  heart,  who  has 
personality  which  is  always  weakened  by  the  grand  stand  play. 
That  is  surely  the  big  thing  in  "The  Inside  of  the  Cup."  If 
God  gives  me  strength  quietly  to  live  and  work  and  teach  the 
absolute  need  of  Social  Revolution,  nothing  less,  ten  years 
from  to-day  I'll  have  done  more  good  in  Utah  than  if  I  could 
stir  up  a  strike  at  Garfield  or  bankrupt  the  Utah  Copper  Co. 

I  am  very  grateful  to  you  for  the  book.  I'm  going  to  try 
to  get  people  to  read  it.  Even  more  wonderful  than  the  story 
itself  is  the  fact  that  he  should  have  written  it.  I  don't  mean 
to  suggest  that  Churchill  isn't  a  sincere  man  and  yet  I  think 
probably  he  chose  the  subject  in  part  at  least,  because  he  thought 
it  was  interesting  and  people  would  buy  the  book.  Surely  that's 
wonderfully  encouraging.  When  Bernard  Shaw  wrote  "  Wid- 
ows' Houses,"  he  had  to  put  it  among  the  "Unpleasant  Plays," 
and  it  doesn't  put  the  case  as  strongly  as  this  best  selling  novel. 
That's  a  lot  of  progress  in  twenty  years. 

The  subject  they  have  given  me  at  the  General  Convention 
is  "The  Church  and  Democracy."  Of  course  I  must  think  of 
democracy  industrially.  To  think  of  it  politically  would  only 
be  '  flop  doodle.'  I'm  trying  to  find  out  what  proportion  of  our 
95,000,000  constitute  the  democracy,  the  real  demos.  If  all 
exploited  workers  were  class  conscious  how  many  would  there 
be?  How  many  by  I.  W.  W.  reckoning  constitute  the  prole- 
tariat ?  Do  you  know,  I  think  I'll  write  to  Victor  Berger  though 
I  don't  know  him.  Please  forgive  this  long  letter  in  my  blind 
hand  writing. 

The  general  manager  said  to  the  writer  in  Salt  Lake  City 
in  1916,  "I  wouldn't  tell  Rice  this,  but  perhaps  we  had,  in 
our  effort  to  pay  dividends,  overlooked  the  men.  All  that 
we  have  done  since  for  them  is  really  due  to  Rice.     And 


232  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

we  have  many  more  things  in  mind  to  do.  Bishop  Spalding 
was  a  great  man  and  always  did  what  he  thought  was 
right." 

Bishop  Spalding  went  to  the  General  Convention  of  1913 
fresh  from  this  experience  of  failure  in  the  work  in  the  min- 
ing camp.  In  the  Cathedral  of  St.  John  the  Divine,  before 
the  most  representative  assembly  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
he  spoke  on  the  Church  and  Democracy.  He  had  pre- 
pared the  speech  with  great  care  during  his  vacation,  and 
on  the  evening  of  its  delivery,  he  prayed  earnestly  for  cour- 
age to  deliver  it,  knowing  full  well  what  it  might  mean  to 
his  work.  Before  him,  filling  every  seat  in  crossing  and 
choir,  sat  bishops,  deputies  and  prominent  members  of  the 
Woman's  Auxiliary.  In  the  great  city  at  his  feet  stood  the 
mighty  buildings  in  which  resides  the  power  that  dictates 
policies  for  mines  and  railroads  throughout  the  West.  In 
that  place  Spalding,  like  the  prophet  Amos  at  Bethel  or 
Savonarola  in  the  Duomo  of  Florence,  told  of  what  God 
had  led  him  to  see ;  he  quoted  the  man  who  said  to  him  that 
he  proposed  to  control  the  preaching  that  went  on  in  his 
town,  and  told  of  the  railroad  official  who  refused  the  pass 
because  he  did  not  approve  of  the  speech  Spalding  had  made 
to  his  striking  workmen.  He  admired  such  men,  he  said, 
for  their  frankness ;  business  is  business.  But  let  them  not 
forget  that  the  class-conscious  working-man  is  equally  logi- 
cal in  not  wanting  the  religion  which  is  given  by  those  who 
consider  religion  a  useful  soporific  calculated  to  make  men 
content.  "Surely,"  he  cried,  "there  can  be  no  doubt  on 
which  side  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  ought  to  stand, 
where  the  issue  is  between  dollars  and  men.  She  must 
stand  on  the  solid  ground  of  economic  truth.  She  must 
learn  that  labor,  not  capital,  is  the  basis  of  all  value,  that 
men  at  their  worst  are  worth  more  than  dollars  at  their 


THE    CHURCH    IN    THE    MINING    CAMP  233 

best.  .  .  .  She  must  take  her  place  on  the  side  of  the  worker, 
giving  him,  from  her  Master,  self-control  and  courage  and 
hope  and  faith,  so  that  he  may  fight  his  battle  and  win  his 
victory,  which  is  not  his  victory  alone,  but  the  victory  of 
society;  the  victory  of  cooperation,  of  love  over  selfish- 
ness. .  .  .  The  Church,  if  she  is  to  be  a  real  power  in  the 
Twentieth  Century,  must  cease  to  be  merely  the  almoner 
of  the  rich  and  become  the  champion  of  the  poor." 

The  congregation  of  Churchmen,  bankers,  lawyers, 
women,  listened  spellbound,  caught  in  the  torrent  of  his 
speech,  the  terrible  earnestness  of  his  manner,  the  deep 
religious  emotion  of  his  closing  appeal.  Then  the  congre- 
gation left  the  cathedral  and  the  storm  of  criticism  broke. 
"  I  want  this  talk  about  the  Church  being  on  the  side  of  the 
rich  stopped,"  exclaimed  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
bishops.  "  It  is  not  true.  Look  what  the  Church  is  doing 
for  the  poor."  "Why  shouldn't  I  accept  money  from  the 
mill  owners,"  said  a  prominent  bishop  of  a  Southern  dio- 
cese, "  for  use  in  the  mill  town  ?  "  "  Never  have  that  man  in 
our  parish  again,"  exclaimed  a  sister  of  a  certain  rich  bishop 
to  her  rector.  And  the  rector  recalled  that  a  few  weeks 
before  the  same  lady  had  called  Spalding  "lovely, "  and  had 
expressed  her  desire  to  have  the  missionary  offering  sent  to 
"our  own  people  in  the  West"  rather  than  to  "foreign 
missions."  The  wife  of  one  of  the  prominent  lay  deputies, 
a  great  corporation  lawyer,  pleaded  with  Spalding  to  keep 
quiet  and  told  him  of  a  rich  man  who  had  intended  to  make 
a  large  contribution  to  a  Church  hospital  in  Japan  but 
now  refused  to  give  a  cent  to  a  church  that  tolerated  such 
a  bishop.  A  woman  who  was  a  leader  in  the  Woman's 
Auxiliary  and  gave  away  thousands  of  dollars  to  missions 
told  him  that  he  would  never  know  how  much  harm  he  had 
done  to  the  missionary  work  of  the  Church.     The  secretary 


234  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

of  a  certain  layman's  organization  told  Spalding  that  he 
must  stop  his  socialism,  that  he  was  breaking  the  hearts 
of  his  friends,  and  ruining  not  only  his  own  reputation  but 
the  very  Church  itself. 

To  A.  R.  T. 

Sept.  21,  1914. 

I  sometimes  wonder  whether  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
and  Social  Service  can  live  together.  I  did  get  jumped  on  so 
hard  for  the  speech  I  made  at  the  General  Convention  from  the 
great  lights  of  the  Church,  both  male  and  female,  that  I  can't 
help  wondering  whether  the  social  and  the  historical  program 
of  the  Church  doesn't  make  interest  in  Social  Service  along 
radical  lines  an  absolutely  illogical  development.  Mr.  Clinton 
Rogers  Woodruff  and  myself,  for  example,  have  been  having  a 
little  correspondence.  He  admits  that  the  class  struggle  may 
be  an  economic  fact  but  insists  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Church 
to  keep  quiet  about  it.  Isn't  the  mission  of  the  Church  to  appeal 
to  the  respectable,  well-to-do  people  to  live  passably  decent 
lives,  be  honest  neighbors,  to  share  their  wealth  with  the  poor 
and  to  worship  God  in  the  dignified  manner  set  forth  by  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer?  Now  mind  you  all  the  protests  have  been 
made  as  the  result  of  one  short  address  by  an  insignificant  mis- 
sionary bishop. 

To  his  mother  who  shared  his  inmost  soul  he  wrote,  "I 
wonder  whether  the  time  will  ever  come  when  it  will  be  my 
duty  to  resign  from  the  Church  for  the  sake  of  the  Church, 
for  I  cannot  quite  see  how  I  can  stop  speaking  out  what  I 
think  God's  spirit  shows  me  as  the  truth."  He  thought  of 
himself  as  an  insignificant  bishop,  but  he  had  in  and  through 
his  work,  in  Erie  and  in  Utah,  experienced  a  new  thing. 
By  contact  with  the  miners  in  Utah,  as  by  contact  with  the 
dock- workers  in  Erie,  he  had  awakened  to  the  fact  that  three- 
fourths  of  the  men,  women  and  children  in  America  are 


THE    CHURCH   IN    THE    MINING    CAMP  235 

wage  earners  and  nothing  else,  and  are  as  dependent  as 
were  Southern  slaves  upon  the  bounty  of  the  few  who  own 
the  tools  and  reap  the  profits  of  the  competitive  economic 
system.  The  existing  economic  system  gives  to  a  few  the 
power  to  give  or  withhold  from  the  many  everything  that 
makes  life  agreeable,  both  the  means  of  earning  a  living  of 
any  kind  and  the  kind  of  religion  they  are  to  believe.  Spald- 
ing saw  the  fundamental  injustice  in  such  a  system  which 
no  philanthropic  work  can  make  right.  If  the  Church  would 
help  those  impoverished  by  the  privileges  that  enrich  her 
she  must  help  destroy  those  privileges.  Until  she  is  ready 
to  do  what  she  can  in  restoring  to  men  their  equal  rights  to 
the  use  of  God's  gifts,  she  will  look  in  vain  for  the  interest 
and  service  of  laboring  men.  To  this  stern  and  tragic 
fact  the  Church  was  blind,  as  was  the  Jewish  Church  in  the 
time  of  Amos.  This  bishop,  like  him  of  Tekoa,  was  told 
by  the  Church  in  General  Convention  assembled,  to  go  back 
to  his  sheep.  But  there  were  those  who  heard  and  under- 
stood. "  We  can  think  of  few  men,"  declared  the  Bishop 
of  Michigan  in  November,  1914,  "whose  influence  is  so 
likely  to  live,  and  few  whom  the  coming  years  are  so  likely 
to  justify  " 


XV 

The  Church  and  Socialism 

Undoubtedly  the  most  conspicuous  fact  in  Bishop  Spald- 
ing's life  was  his  championship  of  the  cause  of  the  working- 
man.  It  was  the  passion  of  his  life.  He  was  an  enthusiastic 
convert  to  the  economic  theories  of  Karl  Marx  and  he  saw 
in  Socialism  the  instrument  by  which,  under  God,  the  terrible 
wrongs  and  inequalities  which  mark  the  civilization  of  to- 
day were  to  be  righted.  He  belonged  to  those  religious 
pioneers  of  our  day  who  see  the  larger  interpretation  of  which 
Christianity  is  capable  and  which  it  must  receive  if  it  is  to 
become  again  the  dominant  factor  in  civilization. 

Frank  Spalding  wrote  for  '  The  Christian  Socialist '  the 
story  of  his  conversion  to  Socialism.  It  was  a  recollection, 
written  shortly  before  his  death,  and  very  briefly  told.  It 
gives  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  process  by  which  he  reached 
Marxian  socialism.  The  biographer  has  attempted  to 
show,  in  previous  chapters  the  steps  toward  socialism  which 
Spalding  took.  The  reader  will  recall  that  while  rector  of 
St.  Paul's,  Erie,  he  came  to  see  in  the  case  of  his  own  parish- 
ioners, the  effect  of  the  introduction  of  new  mechanical 
devices  upon  the  wage  earners ;  that  while  the  few  are  helped, 
many  willing  and  able  workers  are  cast  out  of  the  active 
industrial  life  and  are  driven  into  shiftlessness,  vice  and 
crime,  and  that  the  increased  wealth  which  the  rich  received 
did  not  make  them  better  men  and  women  but,  on  the 
contrary,  worse.     "I  was  forced  to  realize,"  he  said  in  his 

236 


THE   CHUECH   AND    SOCIALISM  237 

story  of  his  conversion,  "that  thousands  who  had  as  good  a 
right  to  the  fullness  of  life  as  I  had,  did  not  have  a  ghost  of 
a  chance. ...  I  was  forced  to  realize  that  the  power  to  make 
and  save  money  carries  with  it  the  destruction  of  the  impulse 
to  give  it  away."  The  capitalistic  system,  though  it  pro- 
posed to  substitute  charity  for  justice,  was,  he  believed, 
diabolically  contrived  to  take  the  heart  out  of  charity,  and 
in  spite  of  noble  exceptions,  usually  succeeded. 

If  social  salvation  is  not  to  come  through  persuading, 
on  the  part  of  the  churches,  the  rich  and  mighty  to  be  kind 
and  generous  and  public  spirited,  how  can  it  come? 
The  Christian  Church  exists  for  the  sole  purpose  of  sav- 
ing the  human  race.  Is  it  a  hopeless  failure?  Socialism 
told  him  that  though  social  salvation  could  never  come 
through  the  classes,  it  might  come  through  the  masses. 
Competition  will  not  be  stopped  by  making  the  victors  so 
pitiful  that  they  will  share  the  spoils  —  but  by  making  the 
vanquished  so  strong  that  they  can  no  longer  be  robbed. 
That  brought  to  Spalding  truth  and  hope.  Toward  the 
close  of  his  ministry  in  Erie  he  announced  himself  a  Socialist. 

To  the  "Worker" 

Sept.  22,  1901. 

I  am  a  Socialist,  and  I  hope  I  appreciate  every  wise  and  honest 
effort  which  is  being  made  to  do  away  with  the  present  com- 
petitive system.  I  am  a  clergyman  of  the  Christian  Church, 
but  I  have  never  been  ignorant  enough  to  apply  to  myself  the 
term  "Christian  Socialist,"  believing  that  that  name  is  a  mis- 
nomer. At  the  same  time  I  feel  that  in  the  Christian  teaching 
of  the  fatherhood  of  God,  and  the  brotherhood  of  man,  the 
infinite  value  of  every  human  life  and  the  right  of  every  human 
life  to  an  environment  on  the  earth  capable  of  developing  to 
the  full  its  God-given  possibilities,  there  will  be  found  the  emo- 
tion needed  to  bring  in  the  socialistic  theory  which  must,  like 


238  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

every  other  theory,  be  touched  with  emotion  before  it  can  be 
realized,  and  therefore  I  am  opposed  to  any  attempt  to  arouse 
emotion  by  appeals  to  selfish,  narrow  prejudice  as  your  editorial 
in  my  judgment  most  certainly  does. 

Speaking  to  the  graduating  class  of  the  University  of 
Utah,  in  the  first  year  of  his  episcopate,  Frank  Spalding 
said,  "I  used  to  call  myself  a  Socialist,  but  as  I  considered 
the  matter  more  carefully  I  found  I  could  no  longer  do  so. . . . 
I  confess  that  the  motives  the  Socialist  appeals  to,  the 
rewards  which  he  considers  represent  man's  highest  good 
seem  to  me  ignoble  and  inadequate.  Carlyle  was  right 
when  in  his  blunt  way  he  called  Socialism  '  Pig  Philosophy. ' " 
Spalding  was  talking  to  young  men  and  women,  Mormons 
for  the  most  part,  who  were  strongly  tempted  to  stay  in  the 
Mormon  Church  for  the  loaves  and  fishes,  and  he  was  seek- 
ing to  inspire  them  with  the  highest  motives  and  ideals 
which  he  found,  not  in  Socialism  but  in  the  religion  of  Christ. 
"The  Crisis"  at  once  denounced  him  as  a  fat,  well-fed  pul- 
piteer, and  the  -  Socialists  of  Salt  Lake  immediately  invited 
him  to  address  them  in  the  Federation  of  Labor  Hall.  He  ac- 
cepted, and  told  them  t"hat  when  a  man  offered  him  a  panacea 
for  every  ill  and  asked  fifty  cents  a  bottle  for  it — -he  saved  his 
fifty  cents.  So  when  the  Socialist  advanced  him  one  little 
bit  of  philosophy  as  a  cure  for  all  the  ills  the  suffering  world 
was  enduring  he  refused  to  be  a  materialist.  He  asked  his 
hearers  if  the  legislation  in  favor  of  rest  for  workers  made 
by  Moses,  the  teachings  of  Jesus  and  the  work  for  the 
country  by  George  Washington  were  to  be  explained  by  the 
shortage  of  food  supply  and  the  question  of  land  ownership, 
as  the  materialistic  conception  of  history  would  indicate. 
Socialism,  he  argued,  appealed  to  the  selfish  instincts  of  the 
most  unselfish  class  of  people  —  the  poor.  The  cry  to  them 
to  be  class-conscious  was  a  way  to  arouse  their  self-interests. 


THE   CHURCH   AND   SOCIALISM  239 

Where  the  Socialist  failed,  he  contended,  was  in  not  recog- 
nizing the  power  of  the  spirit. 

What  surprised  the  audience  on  that  occasion,  however, 
was  his  declaration  that  he  was  in  favor  of  the  most  radical 
demands  of  the  Socialist.  And,  to  make  certain  where  he 
stood,  he  was  asked  from  the  floor  whether  as  a  bishop  in 
the  Episcopal  Church  he  was  not  bound  to  help  in  upholding 
the  plutocracy.  He  replied  that  he  was  not,  that  all  he  had 
to  do  was  to  preach  Christianity,  help  to  build  churches, 
and  that  he  was  not  bereft  of  his  right  to  any  opinion  or  its 
expression.  He  said  that  when  the  social  revolution  came, 
the  rich  men  in  the  church  would  try  to  swing  the  church 
against  the  proletariat  and  might  come  within  measurable 
degree  of  succeeding,  but  that  the  working-man  had  the 
opportunity  to  join  the  church  and  swing  it  the  other  way. 
When  the  authenticity  of  his  quotation  of  Carlyle  was  chal- 
lenged he  frankly  admitted  that  he  had  it  second-hand. 

Spalding  invariably  tried  to  understand  the  point  of  view 
of  men  with  whom  he  clashed.  After  his  heckling  in  the 
Labor  Hall  he  weighed  the  arguments  of  those  men  and  his 
own  replies,  and  was  driven  to  revise  his  own  judgment  on 
the  question  of  the  part  environment  plays  in  life.  If  by 
environment  we  mean  not  merely  physical  things  but  social 
and  intellectual  forces,  does  not  environment  control  the 
lives  of  all  men  at  most  points?  Popular  opinion  controls 
us  in  the  clothes  we  wear,  the  food  we  use,  the  books  we  read ; 
in  short,  in  all  that  goes  to  make  up  our  daily  lives.  Men 
could  not  be  the  clean,  neat  persons  they  generally  are  but 
for  the  power  of  popular  opinion.  Environment  determines 
character  very  largely.  Clergymen  are  kept  good  through 
force  of  public  opinion.  Men  have  set  a  standard  for  them, 
and  they  know  they  must  walk  up  to  it.  Jacob  Riis  had 
once  told  Spalding  that,  in  his  opinion,  environment  counts 


240  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

99  per  cent  and,  as  he  thought  about  it,  he  began  to  see  that 
what  Riis  said  was  true. 

It  was  Spalding's  contact  with  the  rich  no  less  than  with 
the  poor  that  brought  him  to  this  conclusion,  which  in  the 
formulation  of  socialist  philosophy  is  the  doctrine  of  Eco- 
nomic Determinism. 

To  His  Mother 

New  York,  Oct.  13. 

The  luxury  of  the  rich  and  the  way  their  luxury  makes  them 
indifferent  to  all  the  old  conventions,  even  at  a  church  gathering, 
is  saddening.     Yesterday   after   the   service  we   got   into   the 

Bishop's  auto  and  went  to  ,  17  miles,  to  a  luncheon  given 

by  in  honor  of  her  brother,  the  Bishop  of  .     A  great 

crowd  of  swells  were  there  and  a  most  elegant  luncheon  with 
champagne  to  drink,  etc.  No  one  would  have  dreamed  it  was 
Sunday.     It  makes  me  more  of  a  socialist  than  ever. 

That  particular  woman  was  a  good  Churchwoman ;  she 
was  interested  in  missions  and  gave,  so  she  thought,  gener- 
ously. But  her  annual  gifts  to  the  church  did  not  equal 
the  cost  of  her  private  establishment  for  a  single  week.  She 
was  the  creature  of  her  environment  and  no  amount  of 
persuasion  from  the  pulpit  touched  her;  when  it  became 
"socialistic"  she  transferred  her  membership  to  another 
parish.  This  Churchwoman  was  but  typical  of  her  class 
and  could  be  made  genuinely  Christian,  Bishop  Spalding 
thought,  only  by  a  change  in  her  environment.  By  such 
cases,  he  says,  "I  was  forced  to  realize  that  the  power  to 
make  and  save  money  carries  with  it  the  destruction  of  the 
impulse  to  give  it  away.  It  only  takes  a  minute  for  luxuries 
to  become  necessities,  and  one  millionaire  makes  all  the 
$100,000  men  and  women  feel  poor." 

In  his  Thanksgiving  Day  sermon  that  year,  1905,  Spalding 
showed  that  his  mind  had  gone  still  further  toward  Socialism. 


THE   CHURCH   AND    SOCIALISM  24 1 

"The  older  thinkers  insisted  that  ideas  were  fundamental. 
But  in  the  last  fifty  years  a  new  philosophy  has  been  winning 
its  way.  In  1 85  7 ,  Buckle  published  his '  History  of  Civiliza- 
tion,' an  attempt  to  prove  that  climate  and  physical  char- 
acteristics of  the  soil  determined  intellectual  and  moral 
character.  In  1861,  Karl  Marx  published  'Capital,'  an 
elaborate  effort  to  show  that  the  foundations  of  the  state 
rested  not  on  moral  and  spiritual  ideas,  but  on  food  supply. 

This  reading  of  history  is  indeed  revolutionary And  so, 

Thanksgiving  Day  bids  us  to  be  glad  that  we  have  enough 
to  eat  and  when  we  say  that,  we  do  not  dismiss  God  from 
the  world,  but  we  realize  His  presence  more  than  ever,  be- 
cause every  one  must  feel  that  our  material  blessings  we  owe 
to  Him.  .  .  .  The  old  notion  that  hunger  and  misery  drove 
men  to  God  is  not  true.  It  makes  them  angry  and  sullen 
and  skeptical.  Material  prosperity  is  a  foundation  for 
religion  and  we  must  be  thankful  to  God  that  we  are  living 
in  a  time  of  wonderful  awakening.  The  day  is  coming 
when  the  over  abundance  which  is  cursing  the  rich  will  be 
taken  away  and  the  poverty  of  the  poor  relieved,  and  the 
higher,  nobler  side  of  human  life  will  have  a  chance." 

As  Spalding  came  into  intimate  relations  with  the  work- 
ing-men in  his  District  he  took  one  more  step  forward. 
At  Eureka,  Nevada,  for  illustration,  he  saw  over  one  hundred 
million  dollars  taken  out  of  the  mines;  at  Pioche,  fifteen 
millions ;  at  Virginia  City,  surpassing  sums.  What  did  the 
wealth  produced  do  for  the  localities  that  produced  it? 
he  asked.  And  he  found  that  it  produced  absolutely  noth- 
ing. Tonopah,  Goldfield,  Manhattan,  Ely  and  Rhyolite 
might  have  built  better  school  houses,  churches,  town  halls, 
reading  rooms,  public  baths,  sewage  systems  and  well-paved 
streets  with  a  portion  of  Nevada's  wealth.  Whether  by 
high  taxation,  or  by  a  spirit  which  will  inspire  private  gen- 


242  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

erosity,  they  must  see  to  it,  he  declared,  that  those  who 
are  making  fortunes  here  divide  with  the  State  which  is 
enriching  them.  But  he  saw  those  immense  profits,  after 
paying  large  wages  of  superintendence  and  bare  living 
wages  to  the  workers,  go  east  and  west,  leaving  the  working 
people  exploited  of  the  product  of  their  labor  and  robbed 
of  their  self-respect. 

The  first  lecture  on  Socialism  which  Spalding  delivered 
in  his  District  was  given  at  Rhyolite,  Nevada,  in  April, 
1907,  at  the  solicitation  of  friends.  "He  is  in  no  way 
radical,"  declared  the  Rhyolite  Herald  the  next  day,  "and 
the  brand  of  socialism  championed  by  him  is  the  safe  and 
sane  kind,  that  would  work  injustice  to  no  one  and  be  the 
means  of  uplifting  the  whole  human  race."  In  that  lecture 
Spalding  said  that  a  man's  environment  is  responsible  in  a 
great  measure  for  what  he  is ;  that  the  competitive  system 
of  the  present  day  cannot  be  satisfactory  to  American  citi- 
zens ;  that  true  socialism  aims  to  secure  for  every  one  the 
complete  development  of  his  powers.  He  condemned  the 
class-conscious  workman  for  forsaking  his  fellows  as  soon  as 
he  makes  money,  and  declared  that  the  really  great  leaders 
in  Socialism  have  not  come  from  the  laboring  classes.  We 
can  make  things  better,  he  held,  by  natural  evolution, 
through  thrift,  progress,  growth,  brains,  not  by  ignorant 
radicalism  and  violence. 

A  year  later,  in  January,  1908,  at  the  consecration  of 
his  friend  and  classmate,  Edward  J.  Knight,  as  Bishop  of 
Western  Colorado,  Spalding  preached  the  sermon  and  came 
out  clearly  and  emphatically  for  the  teaching  of  Marx. 
"Behind  all  the  movement  for  social  uplift  outside  the 
religious  organizations  to-day,  is  a  philosophy  which  is  as 
yet  unappropriated  by  the  Church,  and  yet  which  is,  I  be- 
lieve, true.     It  is  based  upon  the  fact  that  environment 


THE   CHURCH   AND    SOCIALISM  243 

has  most  to  do  with  the  making  of  the  product,  and  that 
therefore  the  chief  work  of  any  organization  desiring  success 
must  be  to  create  right  conditions.  Karl  Marx  called  it 
'Materialistic  Conception  of  History,'  an  expression  which 
his  followers  soften  into  the  'economic  interpretation  of 
history'  and  to  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  socialists  who 
follow  him,  it  means  that  a  new  form  of  society  must  be 
worked  for,  if  need  be,  fought  for,  in  which  the  fundamental 
business  of  the  State  shall  be,  to  give  to  each  human  being 
a  supply  for  its  physical  needs.  Man  may  not  be  able  to 
live  by  bread  alone,  but  first  of  all  he  must  have  bread,  and 
to-day  there  are  millions  even  in  this  land  who  are  hungry, 
and  who  have  inadequate  shelter  and  clothing.  .  .  .  The 
Church  has  not  believed  his  teaching.  Nine-tenths  of  the 
preachers  are  still  proclaiming  Samuel  Smiles' '  Self  Help '  and 
Thomas  Carlyle's  'Hero  Worship,'  and  that  any  boy  can  be 
President  of  the  United  States  if  he  has  it  in  him,  and  the 
result  is  that  we  are  the  Church  of  the  well-fed  and  well- 
clothed,  and  that  we  spend  most  of  our  time  fattening  the 
sheep  in  the  fold.  Surely  we  forget  that  the  Master  said  in 
one  of  His  greatest  parables,  that  it  matters  not  how  good 
the  seed  is,  it  will  not  grow  unless  it  fall  into  the  right  soil. 
Yes,  we  forget  the  meaning  of  the  prayer  He  taught  us  to 
say  —  Lead  us  not  into  temptation.  .  .  .  Go  forth  as  the 
Bishop  of  Socialism  and  Trade-Unionism,  of  Communism 
and  Prohibition,  of  Ethical  Culture,  New  Thought,  of  truth 
held  by  all  men,  at  all  times  and  in  all  places,  and  truth 
which  was  only  discovered  yesterday.  .  .  .  We  are  Apostles 
of  Christ,  not  private  chaplains  to  rich  parishioners,  not 
earnest  men  hampered  with  small  and  confining  surround- 
ings, not  privates  required  to  obey  the  orders  of  others 
whom  we  are  not  sure  of,  but  leaders,  with  no  superior 
save  Christ,  the  King." 


244  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

In  Lent  1908,  Bishop  Spalding  gave  a  series  of  lectures 
in  St.  Paul's  Church,  Salt  Lake,  on  "Christianity  and  Social 
Reform "  three  of  which  were  entitled  "The  History  of  Social- 
ism," "Karl  Marx  and  Scientific  Socialism"  and  "The 
Great  Cooperative  Commonwealth."  In  these  lectures, 
before  a  congregation  that  filled  every  seat  and  crowded 
the  aisles,  he  avowed  his  belief  in  straight  Marxian  Socialism. 
The  reception  of  those  lectures  on  Socialism  was  a  mighty 
encouragement  to  Spalding.  "Bishop  Spalding,"  said  the 
'Inter  Mountain  Republican'  editorial,  "has  done  more 
than  give  good  advice  to  Socialists.  He  has  told  the  rest 
of  us  some  things  about  Socialism  that  we  didn't  know. 
By  the  fact  of  this  telling  —  he  being  a  much  respected 
man  —  the  community  has  a  better  opinion  of  it.  It  hasn't 
won  the  public,  but  people  are  not  so  hostile  as  they  were, 
for  they  have  been  told  the  truth  about  it  in  temperate 
language,  by  a  temperate  man."  Until  this  time  he  had 
been  a  student  seeking  information,  at  times  an  implacably 
hostile  critic,  now  he  became  a  champion  of  a  cause.  The 
cause  was  The  Church  and  Socialism. 

For  the  new  stand  which  Spalding  had  been  brought  by 
experience  to  take,  his  mind  had  been  clarified  by  his 
visit  to  the  Pan-Anglican  Congress  and  the  Lambeth 
Conference  in  the  summer  of  1908.  Although  urged  by 
his  mother  to  accompany  her  and  his  sister  to  Europe, 
Spalding  put  the  matter  out  of  his  mind  until  the  invitation 
arrived  to  give  one  of  the  addresses  before  the  Congress. 
Bishop  Lawrence  was  invited  to  speak  on  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers  and  Bishop  Spalding  on  the  Mormons.  He  was 
also  asked  if  he  would  speak  in  England  on  the  subject  of 
Missions,  if  invited  after  the  Congress.  He  replied  that 
he  would  —  "for  I'd  like  some  money  to  reconvert  English 
Mormons." 


THE   CHURCH  AND   SOCIALISM  245 

An  American  clergyman  was  sitting  with  two  alert  Eng- 
lishmen in  Albert  Hall  during  one  of  the  sessions  of  the 
Pan-Anglican  Congress.  The  Englishman  discussed,  be- 
tween speeches  from  the  platform,  problems  in  the  United 
States.  Bishop  Spalding  was  announced  by  the  Chairman. 
As  he  stepped  across  the  platform  the  Englishmen  eyed 
him  curiously  and  turned  to  the  American  with  the  question, 
"Who's  he,  bishop,  did  he  say?  What  is  he  bishop  of?  " 
This  bishop  had  not  made  himself  and  his  country  ridiculous 
by  aping  English  episcopal  ways,  and  the  Englishmen 
thought  there  was  some  mistake  in  that  word  bishop  until 
the  American  assured  them  he  was  an  American  bishop. 
He  recalled  to  them  that  American  bishops  do  not  have 
palaces  and  regal  incomes,  and  the  best  of  them  wear 
neither  gaiters  nor  aprons.  To  them  the  man  as  he  stood 
there  was  a  sermon  on  reality.  They  fixed  their  eyes 
on  Spalding  and  listened  with  strained  attention  to 
every  word  he  said.  Another  American  clergyman  who  had 
felt  somewhat  humiliated  by  the  contrast  between  his  own 
story- telling  bishops  and  the  more  scholarly  Englishmen, 
lifted  up  his  head  with  national  pride  when  Spalding  had 
finished  speaking.  In  Spalding,  America  had  a  man  capable 
of  ranking  high  among  the  best  speakers  of  the  Congress. 

The  '  Church  Times '  declared  that,  "the  Bishop  of  Utah 
brought  a  whiff  of  the  Salt  Lake  breezes  into  the  conference. 
There  was  not  much  glory  in  being  a  bishop  in  Utah,  because 
there  were  seven  hundred  others  (loud  laughter).  The 
most  unconventional  bishop  that  ever  lived,  with  a  rich 
American  accent  and  the  clothes  of  a  country  curate,  he 
said  '  it  would  be  far  better  for  the  Church  in  the  old  country 
to  have  done  something  on  behalf  of  those  who  had  left 
its  shores  than  for  others  to  reconvert  them  after  they  had 
become    Mormons.     Last   year,    1,285,771    white    settlers 


246  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

went  to  that  country  from  the  old  world,  of  whom  337,573 
could  neither  read  nor  write,  and  the  Churchmen  there 
would  feel  more  confident  of  the  future  if  they  felt  that 
the  people  here  were  thinking  more  about  what  the  country 
was  to  become,  instead  of  thinking  merely  of  their  own 
over-crowded  condition'  (applause)." 

At  a  great  meeting  in  Albert  Hall  where  he  was  a  volunteer 
speaker,  Spalding  advocated  Prohibition.  He  told  the 
Englishmen  that  there  were  no  respectable  saloons  in  the 
United  States,  and  "from  what  I  have  heard  you  don't 
seem  to  have  made  yours  respectable  by  putting  women  in 
them.  Why  don't  you  want  prohibition?  Because  of 
your  moderate  drinkers.  What  is  a  moderate  drinker? 
He  is  supposed  to  be  the  man  who  can  stop  drinking  when 
he  wants  to  —  but  here  in  England  you  have  so  many  who 
have  no  possible  idea  of  wanting  to  that  you  cannot  even 
think  of  Prohibition  (laughter)." 

He  was  invited  to  preach  in  Westminster  Abbey.  On 
Sunday  morning,  Aug.  2,  he  preached  his  sermon  on  the 
Transfiguration.  In  the  congregation  which  filled  the  Abbey 
was  Mr.  H.  H.  Asquith  who  at  the  close  of  the  sermon  pro- 
nounced it  one  of  the  most  inspiring  sermons  he  had  ever 
listened  to .  He  also  preached  at  All  Saints' ,  Margaret  Street, 
a  favorite  sermon  of  his  on  "The  Lost  Sheep,"  which 
the  '  Church  Times '  printed  in  full  in  its  Anglo-Catholic 
Pulpit.  The  rector  belonged  to  the  Catholic  Party  with 
which  Spalding  had  little  sympathy.  But,  having  been  asked, 
,he  did  not  wish  to  seem  bigoted  and  so  consented.  On 
arriving  at  the  church  he  was  ushered  by  a  red-slippered 
acolyte  into  an  antechamber  in  the  center  of  which  was 
something  that  looked  to  him  like  a  bier  with  heavy  em- 
broidered coverlets  spread  over  it.  The  acolyte  informed 
him  that  these  were  the  vestments  in  which  he  was  ex- 


THE    CHURCH   AND    SOCIALISM 


247 


pected  to  " pontificate."  "I  looked  at  them  aghast,"  said 
Spalding.  "All  my  Puritan  blood  rose  up  in  me.  Though 
the  service  was  about  to  begin,  I  said,  'I  can't  wear  those 
things.'  The  acolyte  was  embarrassed,  what  was  to  be 
done  ?  "  Spalding  found  a  characteristic  way  out.  He  pro- 
posed that  he  should  remain  outside  the  chancel  till  time  for 
the  sermon  and  then  he  would  preach.  The  compromise  was 
agreed  to.  "  It  always  seemed  to  me,"  he  wrote,  "  a  strange 
instance  of  the  illogical  character  of  the  thinking  of  this 
party  in  the  Church.  I  was  the  Bishop  and  in  the  theory 
of  the  Church  to  which  this  rector  adhered  legally  his  su- 
perior in  authority.  But  nevertheless,  he  was  willing  to 
exclude  me  from  his  chancel  unless  I  observed  the  forms 
that  he  thought  necessary." 

In  the  section  of  the  Pan-Anglican  on  the  Church  and 
Human  Society,  Bishop  Spalding  again  was  a  volunteer 
speaker  on  the  Church  and  Socialism.  He  spoke  as  a 
Marxian  rather  than  as  a  Fabian  Socialist.  The  Church 
must  get  the  environment  right  if  it  expects  the  man  to  be 
right.  It  was  a  question  of  slave  emancipation  and  it  was 
to  the  interest  of  the  workingman  to  see  that  that  selfish 
individualism  was  done  away  with.  It  was  for  the  Church 
to  help  the  movement.  It  exists  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
saving  the  human  race;  so  far  she  has  failed,  but  Social- 
ism shows  her  how  she  may  succeed. 

To  a  Friend 

Aug.  5. 
If  you  had  been  with  me  when  that  Lambeth  report  was  writ- 
ten you  would  never  quote  it.  The  Bishop  of  O.  wrote  it  and  he 
is  the  most  cowardly  trimmer  I  ever  expect  to  see.  Unfortunately 
the  Bishop  of  Hereford,  a  really  brave  man,  was  called  away  by 
death  of  his  son,  and  G.  fixed  things  up  to  suit  himself.     If  G. 


248  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

has  an  atom  of  sand  in  his  make  up  I  failed  to  discover  it.  Ex- 
pediency was  his  entire  philosophy.  It  takes  all  kinds  of  men 
to  make  the  world  and  a  few  more  to  make  a  conference  of 
bishops. 

After  a  delightful  trip  through  France  and  Italy  with 
Bishop  Rowe  of  Alaska,  Spalding  arrived  in  Rome.  "It 
has  been  wonderful  seeing  it  all,"  he  said.  "If  the  wealth 
of  a  nation  is  to  be  in  the  hands  of  the  few  can  there  be  any 
possible  development  other  than  Rome  had  ?  Mr.  Carnegie 
builds  libraries  and  sooner  or  later  Mr.  Caracalla  will  make 
baths,  etc.  Isn't  it  safer  to  let  the  State  own  the  wealth 
for  all?  So  you  see  Rome  preaches  Socialism  too."  By 
the  middle  of  September  he  was  back  again  in  Salt  Lake. 
The  Pan-Anglican  Congress  and  the  Lambeth  Conference 
had  shown  him  that  Socialism  was  recognized  in  England 
as  a  force  to  be  reckoned  with,  and  that  no  Church  Congress 
was  thought  complete  without  a  consideration  of  it.  From 
then  on  he  never  declined  an  invitation  to  address  a  Church 
convention  on  the  subject.  When  his  mother  gently 
warned  him  of  the  dangers  he  would  reply,  "You  remember 
what  we  found  in  England."  That  fall  he  cast  his  first 
ballot  for  the  Socialist  ticket. 

To  an  Honored  Teacher 

Nov.  4. 

There  is  only  one  satisfaction  in  having  a  good  man  disagree 
with  you  and  that  is  you  may  be  able  to  convert  him  and  then 
you've  put  a  good  man  —  who  was  wrong  —  right.  I  did  vote 
for  Debs,  and  I  cannot  understand  how  a  man  as  wise  and  good 
as  yourself  could  vote  for  Taft  whose  only  argument  was  that 
utterly  unchristian  sentiment  "Let  well  enough  alone." 

As  to  the  Chicago  riots,  of  course  lawlessness  is  bad.  That  is 
why  I  am  a  socialist  for  socialism  is  an  effort  to  reduce  the  chaos 
and  anarchy  of  this  "every  man  for  himself"  competitive  sys- 


THE    CHURCH   AND    SOCIALISM  249 

tern  to  law,  and  yet  when  it  comes  to  a  judgment  based  on  the 
rights  of  man  and  the  real  justice  of  the  case,  I'd  rather  be  with 
Debs  and  Altgeld  than  Grover  Cleveland. 

You  must  know,  as  a  man  of  science,  how  little  personality 
counts  for  in  the  great  social  movement.  The  Thomas  Carlyle 
theory  of  history  that  big  heroes  in  spite  of  their  surroundings 
rise  to  a  higher  level  and  then  pull  the  rest  of  humanity  up  is 
so  little  true  that  it  is  practically  false.  Material  causes,  ques- 
tions of  bread  and  butter,  fresh  air,  time  and  place  for  play  so 
that  the  pressure  for  stimulation  by  artificial  means  is  lessened, 
work  of  the  kind  God  gave  the  gifts  to  do,  these  are  the  things 
that  really  count.  And  socialism  is  the  only  thought  which 
knows  it. 

If  my  vote  can  swell  the  Debs  vote  so  that  it  will  be  big  enough 
to  make  men  like  yourself  sit  up  and  take  notice  and  discover 
what  socialism  really  is,  I  shall  have  cast  that  vote  more  wisely 
than  if  it  went  for  "Let  well  enough  alone  Taft,"  or  "Every  man 
for  himself  Bryan." 

In  the  great  co-operative  commonwealth  it  will  be  possible 
to  make  and  enforce  law  for  the  public  good. 

Wherever  he  went  he  was  invited  to  speak  on  the  Church 
and  Socialism,  to  the  great  surprise  of  the  press  of  the 
country,  which  featured  him  as  a  "  Socialist  Bishop  "  on 
the  front  pages.  "  Indeed,  I  am  a  Socialist,"  stated  Spald- 
ing to  the  reporter.  "  Why  not,  aren't  you  ?  I  am  a 
Marxian  Socialist,  and  I'm  a  Socialist  in  every  sense  of  the 
word.  Just  why  and  to  what  extent,  I  will  tell  you  in  my 
lecture.  Under  the  present  individualistic  system  of  gov- 
ernment we  reach  the  wealthy  and  refined  and  take  care 
of  them  but  Socialism  reaches  the  masses.  I  think  it  has 
a  great  message  eventually  to  give  to  the  world.  Chris- 
tianity would  get  along  better  under  Socialism  than  under 
the  individualistic  form  of  government.  Now  by  this  I  do 
not  mean  to  infer  that  the  Episcopal  Church  is  preaching 


J250  PRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

Socialism,  as  we  do  not  mix  politics  with  religion.  I  am  a 
Socialist  as  a  man,  just  as  you  may  be  a  Republican  or  a 
Democrat,  and  it  is  as  such  that  I  endeavor  to  help  the 
cause  of  Socialism.  I  did  not  come  here  primarily  to  give 
a  talk  on  Socialism,  but  Portland  Socialists,  learning  of 
my  presence,  and  knowing  that  I  was  a  Socialist,  invited 
me  to  speak  and  I  accepted.  I  really  came  to  talk  and 
work  in  the  interests  of  the  missionary  work  being  done  in 
the  interior." 

In  advocating  Socialism  Bishop  Spalding  was  far  removed 
from  the  dreamy,  visionary  theorist.  There  are  many 
impractical  people  who  say  they  believe  many  things  which 
sensible  people  know  are  not  true.  These  visionaries  tell 
of  a  society  in  the  future  and  paint  a  picture  of  a  new  earth 
and  a  reconstructed  society  in  novels,  parables,  poems  in 
which  they  describe  in  detail  the  great  cooperative  common- 
wealth. Beyond  its  merit  as  fiction  to  interest  and  amuse, 
it  is  not  worth  the  paper  it  is  written  on.  Spalding,  on  the 
contrary,  used  his  reason  and  observation  freely  and  bravely 
and  found  out  the  cause  of  evil,  the  tendencies  which  make 
for  cure,  and  then  by  faith  accepted  them  and  made  every 
effort  to  enforce  them.  "There  are  two  kinds  of  Socialism," 
he  declared,  "Utopian  Socialism  and  Scientific  Socialism. 
I  have  no  interest  in  the  former.  There  is  a  good  deal  of 
difference  between  faith  and  imagination.  You  can  build 
air  castles  by  imagination,  but  faith  is  different.  Scientific 
Socialism  is  in  line  with  faith.  Utopian  Socialism  is  imagi- 
nation. The  time  must  come  when  the  people  must  own 
the  capital.  Labor  must  not  be  paid  wages  but  what  labor 
creates.     The  conditions  must  be  gotten  right." 

Socialism  had  a  spiritual  influence  on  Spalding  himself. 
It  brought  to  him  truth  and  hope.  Moreover,  it  made  him 
more  patient  and  charitable  than  when  he  believed  that 


THE   CHURCH   AND   SOCIALISM  25 1 

God's  method  of  making  mankind  good  and  strong  was  to 
give  to  a  few  persons  great  wealth  in  order  that  they  might 
bestow  it  in  alms  upon  the  poor,  or,  as  benefactors,  support 
colleges,  charities  and  churches.  Rich  men,  he  knew,  are 
not  their  own  masters,  but  only  part  of  an  economic  system, 
in  which  fierce  competition  makes  men  selfish  in  spite  of 
themselves,  and  in  which  the  struggle  for  success  demands 
most  of  their  time  and  thought.  While  he  honored  all 
generous  and  kind-hearted  men  and  women  and  was  grate- 
ful to  them  for  rising  above  the  sordid  selfishness  about  them, 
he  felt  that  human  society  will  not  be  organized  according 
to  the  will  of  God  until  justice  takes  the  place  of  charity, 
and  the  Cooperative  Commonwealth  replaces  the  regime 
of  individualistic  competition. 

To  the  "Christian  Socialist"  for  November,  191 1,  Bishop 
Spalding  contributed  an  article,  "Socialism  and  Christian- 
ity," which  stated  his  position  clearly  and  at  length.  The 
two  words  he  held,  in  spite  of  the  confusion  in  the  minds 
of  both  Christians  and  Socialists,  are  not  contradictory, 
but  supplementary,  and  that,  therefore,  Socialists  who 
declare  that  Christians  must  be  mere  sentimentalists  and 
Christians  who  assert  that  Socialists  are  of  necessity  ungodly, 
are  both  mistaken.  Both  those  contentions  he  examined 
carefully  and  discarded  as  untrue.  The  Christian,  Spalding 
told  the  Socialists,  has  the  advantage  over  Karl  Marx 
because  he  knows  the  name  of  the  Truth  which  illuminated 
Marx's  mind,  of  the  Power  which  gave  him  his  moral 
courage  and  of  the  Love  which  made  him  faithful  unto  death. 
The  Socialist,  on  the  other  hand,  possessed  in  the  "Materi- 
alistic Conception  of  History"  and  the  "Class-Struggle" 
two  truths  which  the  Christian  must  learn. 
•  Bishop  Spalding  reminded  his  Christian  readers  that  panic- 
stricken  Christian  apologists  denounced  evolution  as  godless 


252  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

and  materialistic  when  Charles  Darwin  first  published  the 
"Origin  of  Species,"  but  that  now  all  thoughtful  defenders 
of  the  Christian  faith  write  their  apologetics  in  the  light  of 
evolution.  As  the  Church  gained  a  flood  of  light  upon  the 
character  of  God  and  the  nature  of  man  when  she  accepted 
the  evolutionary  theory,  so  surely  will  she  receive  new 
guidance  in  her  task  of  saving  the  bodies  and  souls  of  men 
when  she  accepts  Marx's  "Materialistic  Conception  of  His- 
tory." That  truth  will  force  the  Church  to  see  the  impor- 
tance of  environment,  a  truth  she  must  learn  if  she  is  to 
hasten  the  coming  of  the  Kingdom  of  her  Master. 

"The  Class-Struggle,"  a  phrase  which  causes  quite  as 
much  perplexity  to  Christian  people,  is  a  contribution  of 
Socialism  to  the  Church.  If  there  is  an  exploited  class,  is 
it  not  the  Christian  thing  to  make  them  conscious  of  the 
injustice  to  which  they  are  subjected,  and  the  unchristian 
thing  to  dope  the  stupid  with  charity  and  bribe  the  ambitious 
with  patronage?  The  revolution,  which  is  to  transform 
the  present  political  state  of  competing  classes  into  the 
coming  industrial  democracy  cannot  be  a  bloody  revolution. 
It  can  come  to  stay,  Spalding  said,  only  by  coming  through 
peaceful  and  rational,  though  none  the  less  as  compared 
to  present  standards,  radical  and  revolutionary  action.  He 
held  that  the  Christian  should  try  to  inspire  the  workers 
whose  rights  require  it,  to  struggle  for  the  social  trans- 
formation precisely  as  St.  Paul  in  the  name  of  Christ  re- 
quired the  individual  to  become  a  new  creature. 

All  the  sincerity  and  love  of  truth,  all  the  high  sense  of 
honor  and  demand  for  fair  play,  which  characterized  the 
boyhood  and  college  days  of  Frank  Spalding,  were  merged 
into  what  those  who  once  felt  its  power  could  only  recog- 
nize as  a  prophet's  vision  of  the  wrongs  of  society  and  a 
prophet's  championship  of  those  who  were  oppressed.     The 


THE    CHURCH   AND    SOCIALISM  253 

Gospel  which  he  preached  was  as  truly  revolutionary  as 
Isaiah's.  For  the  time  being  it  is  a  gospel  not  of  peace 
but  of  the  sword.  It  will  set  a  man  at  variance  with  those 
of  his  own  household.  Spalding  experienced  again  and 
again  the  mortification  of  misunderstanding,  the  pain  of 
fierce  opposition,  as  hard  to  bear  at  times  as  the  pain  of 
martyrdom.  He  preached  his  gospel  with  a  joyous  en- 
thusiasm that  had  nothing  of  the  narrow  fanaticism  and 
intolerance  in  it  which  is  often  found  in  men  of  intense 
conviction. 

The  culmination  of  his  career  as  a  preacher  of  justice 
was  reached  at  the  General  Convention  held  in  New  York 
in  October  1913.  The  address  which  he  delivered  in  the 
Cathedral  of  St.  John  the  Divine,  prepared  with  great  care 
and  earnest  prayer  the  summer  before,  was  his  gospel.  Who 
that  was  present  can  ever  forget  the  sight  of  his  tall,  spare 
figure  in  the  pulpit  and  the  consecration  of  the  man  ?  The 
zeal  of  the  great  cause  consumed  him,  the  word  of  God 
burned  like  fire  in  his  bones  as  in  Jeremiah's  and  made  his 
every  utterance  a  lambent  and  searching  flame.  The 
storms  of  the  Rockies  were  in  that  appeal,  their  lightnings 
and  crashes  of  thunder  in  those  incisive  words.  It  was  one 
of  the  most  dramatic  scenes  ever  witnessed  in  an  American 
church.  But  for  sustained  argument,  abundance  of  proof, 
and  comprehensive  statement  the  sermon  of  Spalding 
in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  Brooklyn,  a  few  days 
later,  went  far  beyond  it.  It  was  then  that  he  reached  the 
full  stature  of  his  spiritual  power.  That  sermon  was  pro- 
nounced absolutely  the  most  uncompromising  utterance 
ever  made  in  an  American  pulpit. 

He  told  the  story  of  the  revolt  of  the  Jews  under  Moses 
against  the  master  class  of  Egypt.  "If  this  were  only  the 
story  of  Egypt,"  he  then  said,  "it  would  be  hardly  worth 


254  FRANKLIN  SPENCER   SPALDING 

taking  time  to  tell.     It  described  the  year  1913  a.d.,  and  the 
United  States  of  America.       He  gave  the  figures  and  the 
facts  that  show  a  propertyless  working  class  consisting  of 
three-fourths  of  the  men,  women  and  children  of  the  nation. 
He  described  philanthropy,  religion,  thrift,  what  they  did 
and  how  they  failed.     "Therefore,  some  of  us  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  Moses  was  driven  to.    We  want  to  leave 
the  Egypt  where  Pharaoh  owned  the  tools  of  production  .  .  . 
and  march  out  to  the  new  commonwealth  where  things 
exist  for  men  and  men  are  not  sacrificed  for  things,  where 
little  children  have  a  chance  to  live  and  where  there  will 
be  time  and  desire  to  worship  God  and  to  serve  Him.     Shall 
we  not  follow  Moses?     Alas,  our  wise  and  godly  teachers 
will  not  let  us  make  even  the  beginning  of  the  journey  to 
the  promised  land."     He  discussed  the  attitude  of  bishops 
toward  capitalists  and  the  criticism  of  Socialism  on  the 
part  of  editors.     "If  one  wants  a  hopeful  field  in  which  to 
plant  the  seeds  of  righteousness  he  will  find  it  in  the  hearts 
of  the  proletariat,  not  in  the  hearts  of  the  capitalists.    There 
is  far  more  altruism  in  a  sympathetic  strike  to  raise  wages 
than  in  a  capitalistic  combine  to  raise   prices."     To  the 
objection  that  Socialism  would  destroy  all  incentive,  Spald- 
ing answered,  "according  to  this  theory,  when  Jesus  said 
to  Simon  Peter,  ' Leave  your  nets  and  follow  me!'  he  was 
calling  Peter  from  selfish  competition  which  was  making 
him  trustworthy  and  efficient  to  a  life  of  unpaid  service 
which  would  make    him    unreliable    and    lazy."     As    for 
the    criticism  that  Socialism  destroys  the  family,  Spald- 
ing showed  that  insufficient  wages  destroys  families.     "In 
the    cooperative    commonwealth    the    monogamic    family 
will  come  to  its  own."     Here  are  the  facts  of  our  twentieth- 
century  industrial  life.     The  workers  have  nothing  but  their 
labor  to  sell,  they  sell  it  for  wages,  and  those  wages  depend 


THE   CHURCH   AND   SOCIALISM  255 

upon  the  supply  of  laborers  and  the  demand  for  them,  not 
upon  the  value  the  laborer  creates.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  capitalists  own  the  land  and  tools  of  production  and 
take  as  their  share  profits,  rent  and  interest.  Industrial 
classes  are  therefore  inevitable.  The  abolition  of  the  class 
struggle  can  only  be  accomplished  by  abolishing  the  system 
which  necessitates  conflicting  class  interests. 

The  substitution  of  cooperation  for  competition  is  revo- 
lution. "The  evolutionist  may  wish  to  feel  his  way  for- 
ward, never  quite  breaking  with  the  past,  walking  by  right ; 
but  the  revolutionist,  when  he  is  convinced  that  a  course 
is  right,  breaks  with  precedent  and  marches  straight  into 
the  Red  Sea  of  the  unexplored  future.  Moses  had  faith 
in  the  capacity  of  dispirited  classes  to  become  true  sons  of 
Abraham,  the  friend  of  God."  Moses  was  a  revolutionist. 
The  Hero  of  the  New  Testament,  One  infinitely  greater 
than  Moses,  was  also  a  revolutionist.  If  the  Church  to-day 
would  be  a  Moses  to  mankind  she  must  repudiate  the  present 
social  system  which  makes  it  almost  impossible  for  millions 
to  believe  there  is  a  just  and  loving  God  and  that  sinful, 
weary  men  are  His  children. 

Such  being  Spalding's  convictions  he  conceived  that 
it  was  his  duty  to  try  to  make  the  Church  see  that  she 
must  cease  to  be  the  almoner  of  the  rich  and  become  the 
champion  of  the  poor.  "It  is  a  definite  choice,"  he  said. 
"Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mammon." 

To  a  Friend 
(This  letter  was  written  only  four  days  before  his  death.) 

Sept.  21,  1914. 

"I  expect  all  Churchmen  who  have  any  social  outlook  must 
often  feel  as  you  feel.     I  know  I  do.     And  yet  I  can't  feel  that 


256  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

I  would  be  doing  right  if  I  took  the  step  that  you  took,  and  left 
the  Church.  It  seems  to  me  my  main  job  is  to  try  to  make  the 
Church  make  her  contribution,  and  I  can  do  a  lot  more  inside 
than  I  could  outside.  Besides  that,  I  am  a  religious  animal, 
and  I  propose  to  stay  in  the  religious  union.  I  don't  want  to 
be  a  religious  scab  unless  the  union  puts  me  out." 


XVI 

Man  Among  Men 

His  sister  spoke  the  truth  when  she  wrote,  at  the  time  of 
his  election  to  the  episcopate,  "Frank  knows  what  a  bishop 
ought  to  be."  His  father  had  been  a  bishop  since  Frank 
could  remember,  and  for  six  years  the  son  served  under  the 
father.  As  rector  of  St.  Paul's  he  had  been  a  keen  observer 
of  the  ways  of  bishops.  It  was  his  conviction  that  as  bishop 
he  must  not  attempt  to  run  parishes  but  be  a  shepherd  of 
priests.  The  personal  relationships  between  Bishop  Spald- 
ing and  the  men  who  served  under  him  in  Utah  were  as  vital 
a  part  of  his  ministry  as  his  interest  in  a  new  social  order 
and  his  consecration  to  missions.  He  never  lost  sight  of 
the  individual  in  his  work  for  the  Church. 

The  missionary  bishop  has  a  power  over  clergymen  which 
no  diocesan  bishop  possesses.  He  assigns  them  to  their 
cures,  except  in  the  case  of  organized  parishes,  determines 
the  size  of  their  salaries,  increases  them  or  lowers  them  and 
regulates  their  vacations.  Episcopal  government  in  the 
missionary  field  is  largely  personal  government,  the  rule  of 
men,  not  the  rule  of  law.  The  only  recourse  clergymen 
have  in  case  of  unfair  treatment  at  the  hands  of  their  bishop, 
is  that  of  the  common  working  man,  the  right  to  quit  work. 
The  only  restraint  upon  the  bishop  is  the  difficulty  of  getting 
good  men  and  of  keeping  them  for  any  length  of  time. 

Bishop  Spalding  was  ever  helping  some  young  man  attain 
an  education.     He  urged  men  to  go  to  college  or  to  other 

s  257 


258  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

schools  where  they  would  develop  their  special  talents.  In 
the  course  of  his  ministry  he  assisted  as  many  as  seven 
young  men  financially.  He  said  that  having  no  children 
of  his  own,  the  best  he  could  do  was  to  help  the  children  of 
others  to  get  an  education.  He  often  questioned  whether 
he  would  have  gone  to  college  had  he  not  been  sent,  and  he 
was  especially  eager  to  assist  ambitious  young  men  who  had 
a  less  advantageous  environment  than  he  himself  had  en- 
joyed. 

To  a  Princetonian 

Oct.  18. 

I  want  to  interest  you  in  a  young  man  in  the  Freshman  class.. 
He  is  trying  to  work  his  way  through  college.  No  one  is  helping 
him  but  myself  and  my  resources  are  limited.  I  am  sure  the 
boy  has  the  right  sort  of  stuff  in  him,  and  only  needs  the  chance. 
He  hopes  to  be  a  clergyman,  although  I  have  been  very  careful 
not  to  pledge  him  in  any  way  because  I  think  one  can  decide  that 
when  too  young. 

Bishop  Spalding  invariably  met  a  new  man  on  his  arrival 
in  Salt  Lake,  no  matter  how  many  hours  late  the  train 
might  be.  On  the  return  of  his  workers  from  their  vaca- 
tions the  Bishop  was  the  first  to  greet  them  at  the  station. 
When  they  knew  how  busy  his  life  was  this  personal  atten- 
tion took  hold  of  them.  He  also  remembered  birthdays 
and  anniversaries.  When  circumstances  arose  which  made 
it  necessary  for  men  to  leave  the  District  he  made  special 
efforts  to  get  them  places  elsewhere. 

His  men  went  to  him  with  their  problems  of  faith  and 
work  and  duty.  Then  he  was  at  his  best.  His  analytical 
mind  laid  bare  the  difficulties  of  their  problems  and  the 
alternatives  or  solutions.  He  had  the  rare  faculty  of  lifting 
subjects  to  higher  levels.  Whatever  the  business  in  hand, 
the  man  found  that  he  had  gone  away  with  something  to 


MAN   AMONG   MEN 


259 


think  about  of  an  intellectual  character.  Sometimes  he 
read  paragraphs  from  an  article  he  was  reading  or  some 
address  he  was  preparing  in  order  to  clear  his  own  mind  by 
discussing  it.  The  more  opposed  a  man  was  to  his  ideas 
and  arguments  the  better  Spalding  liked  it.  If  he  was 
unusually  interested  he  stood  up  and  walked  over  to  the 
radiator,  and,  warming  his  hands  by  half  sitting  on  them 
there,  delivered  his  arguments  with  his  keenest  humor. 
"I  hate  to  agree  with  you,"  he  once  said  to  one  of  his  men, 
"because  the  point  is  debatable,  and,  as  you  know,  I  like 
to  argue." 

In  his  conversation  he  had  an  engaging  way  of  taking  the 
man  into  his  confidence.  "We  must  plan  together"  was 
a  favorite  expression  with  him.  A  stenographer  in  the 
Missions  House  in  New  York,  accustomed  to  meeting 
bishops,  has  said  that  Bishop  Spalding,  in  presenting  a 
matter  of  business  to  her,  took  her  as  much  into  his  con- 
fidence and  explained  the  situation  to  her  as  carefully  and 
as  courteously  as  though  she  were  the  President  of  the 
Board.  He  was  not  above  treating  the  humblest  with 
true  respect. 

He  labored  to  maintain  his  judgment  in  independence  of 
his  affections,  and  of  personal  influences  not  pertinent  to 
the  issue.  "A.  is  one  of  the  kind  that  appeals  to  your  sym- 
pathy so  that  you  can't  tell  him  straight  what  you  think  of 
him,  though  I  have  put  it  pretty  straight  this  time."  Once 
he  was  asked  to  buy  some  furniture  from  one  of  his  mis- 
sionaries for  the  mission  property.  The  missionary  had 
allowed  his  property  to  be  used  by  the  mission  for  some  time 
and  now  asked  the  Bishop  either  to  buy  it  or  else  have  it 
stored  for  his  future  use.  Bishop  Spalding  saw  the  justice 
of  the  request  but  also  saw  that  the  missionary  expected 
him  to  pay  more  than  it  was  worth.     So  he  said  at  once, 


260  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

"Let's  bargain,  I'm  going  to  be  a  Jew  now  for  this  is  a  purely 
business  matter  and  I  must  do  just  as  well  as  I  can  and  pay 
neither  more  nor  less  than  your  furniture  would  bring,  if 
sold  to  a  dealer."  The  humor  of  the  situation  struck  the 
missionary  and  he  said,  "No,  thanks,  it  is  worth  more  than 
that  to  me."  "Then,"  said  Spalding,  "perhaps  you  will 
loan  the  furniture  to  the  Bishop  for  the  mission  house  for 
another  year  or  two  or  rent  it  to  me ? "  "How  much  salary 
should  I  offer  my  assistant,"  one  of  his  men  wrote  him. 
The  answer  was,  "Be  as  close  as  possible  and  still  be  a 
Christian." 

Before  Spalding  accepted  the  bishopric  he  wrote  his 
mother,  "You  know  if  I  go,  I  go  to  stay."  His  men  knew 
that  their  leader  would  never  desert  them  and  they  accord- 
ingly gave  to  him  their  utmost  allegiance.  He  did  not  be- 
lieve in  missionary  bishops  giving  up  their  districts  at  the 
call  of  larger  dioceses.  When  too  infirm  to  be  of  active 
service  in  the  field  he  would  have  them  become  missionary 
speakers  for  the  field  under  the  direction  of  the  Board  of 
Missions.  His  men  also  knew  that  his  begging  trips  East 
or  West  were  anything  but  pleasure  trips.  "Tell  me,"  he 
would  write  his  men,  "can  I  do  Utah  more  good  by  staying 
here  and  breaking  in  a  new  part,  say  the  San  Pete  Valley, 
and  visiting  the  people,  —  or  can  I  benefit  the  District 
more  by  going  East  for  two  months  and  trying  to  raise 
money  ?  Help  me  to  think  that  out.  If  I  don't  get  enough 
money  to  do  what  must  be  done  —  I  suppose  I'll  have  to 
go  East  after  Christmas,  but  somehow  I  can't  see  how  the 
good  Lord  will  make  me  do  that." 

When  he  had  attained  national  distinction  as  a  speaker 
he  received  many  invitations  to  preach  and  make  addresses, 
which  he  generally  declined.  "I  thought  I  ought  not  to  do 
it"  he  wrote,   when  he  was  asked  to  speak  on  the  same 


MAN   AMONG   MEN  26 1 

platform  in  Portland  with  Governor  Woodrow  Wilson. 
"When  there  are  so  few  clergy  in  Utah  I  surely  ought  to 
give  all  my  time  to  my  own  district." 

His  clergy  knew  also  that  he  gave  to  them  longer  vaca- 
tions than  he  took  himself.  Only  once  in  his  episcopate 
did  his  vacation  exceed  a  month,  and  that  was  the  year  he 
went  abroad  to  address  the  Pan- Anglican  Congress. 

Into  his  inmost  confidence  he  took  his  fellow  workers. 
"If  you  have  been  troubled,"  he  wrote  to  one  of  his  men, 
"with  reference  to  the  possibility  of  being  asked  to  work 
where  '  the  freedom  with  which  Christ  has  made  us  free '  is 
limited,  so  have  I,  and  many  many  times,  though  for  the 
last  month  more  deeply  than  ever  before.  My  speech  to 
the  A  club,  has  not  only  interfered  with  the  work  at  B;  but 
it  has  interfered  with  the  work  in  Utah  because  it  has  branded 
me  in  the  eyes  of  the  good  old-fashioned  people,  who  are 
the  generous  people,  as  an  unsafe  and  an  unorthodox  man. 
Bishop  C.  is  here  and  he  told  me  lovingly  but  frankly  that 
this  was  the  reason  I  was  not  getting  money.  Now  I 
cannot  sell  my  right  to  tell  the  truth  as  I  feel  God  shows 
it  to  me.  I  must  say  it  in  love  and  I  must  choose  wisely 
the  place  and  time  for  saying  it,  but  say  it  I  must.  You 
are  more  of  an  individual  than  I  am.  Upon  me  depends 
the  support  of  the  workers  in  the  field  and  their  wives 
and  families.  The  question  forces  itself  upon  me  —  '  Have 
you  any  right  to  be  a  bishop  ? '  because  as  an  old  friend  of 
mine  to  whom  I  was  talking  the  other  day  said  to  me,  'a 
bishop  must  be  wise  as  a  serpent  and  harmless  as  a  dove,' 
and  I  don't  think  I  was  made  to  be  either. 

Bishop  Spalding  met  the  test  of  the  true  executive,  he 
shared  responsibility  with  his  co-workers  and  made  them 
take  it.  To  the  young  men,  fresh  from  the  seminary, 
whom  he  sent  to  Logan,  he  said,  "You  must  be  the  bishop 


262  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

in  that  section  of  the  District.  Let  me  come  in  and  help 
you  when  I  can  be  of  any  help."  When  a  speech  of  his  on 
Mormonism  seemed  to  hamper  their  efforts  in  Logan,  they 
frankly  told  him  so,  and  asked  him  to  keep  silent  on  that 
particular  subject  in  Logan  for  one  year.  "Of  course  I 
will,"  was  his  ready  reply,  "you  are  the  bishop  here."  On 
arriving  at  Vernal  he  found  his  missionary  at  work  filling 
his  ice  house.  The  Bishop  pitched  in  and  worked  with 
him  until  the  job  was  done.  On  another  visit  he  and  Mr. 
Hersey  made  the  coffin  and  dug  the  grave  for  a  little  Indian 
boy  who  had  died.  Spalding  was  a  bishop  who  worked  with 
men  no  less  than  for  them. 

There  were  some  men  who  failed  to  respond  to  his  appeal. 

To  His  Mother 

Nov.  18. 

Mr.  X,  the  clergyman  here,  is  the  oddest  man  I  have  ever 
known.  When  I  first  wrote  to  him  that  I  was  coming  up  he  re- 
plied that  it  was  a  free  country  and  that  if  I  wanted  to  come 
I  could,  but  that  since  he  didn't  care  to  see  me  he  should  cer- 
tainly leave  the  town.  He  said  he  never  wanted  to  see  me  until 
I  apologized  for  my  rude,  cruel  and  unjust  treatment  and  made 
his  salary  up  to  $1200  a  year  from  the  time  he  arrived.  Well, 
I  tried  to  overcome  evil  with  good  and  wrote  a  long  letter  try- 
ing to  make  clear  to  him  that  I  didn't  have  a  mint  of  money 
and  that  it  was  my  duty  to  see  whether  he  made  good  at  Park 
City  before  I  advised  raising  his  salary.  He  did  not  answer 
the  letter  at  all  and  I  came  up  not  knowing  whether  I  would  see 
him  or  not.  I  walked  up  to  the  church  in  time  for  Sunday  School 
and  he  was  there  and  we  greeted  each  other  and  I  took  a  Sunday 
School  class.  I  had  suggested  in  my  letter  that  he  preach  once 
arid  I  would  preach  the  other  time.  So  he  preached  in  the 
morning  a  very  good  sermon  on  the  second  lesson.  After  the 
service  we  had  a  little  talk  standing,  and  when  my  back  was 
turned  for  a  moment  he  left  the  church  and  I  turned  around  to 


MAN   AMONG   MEN  263 

find  myself  alone.  He  said  that  talking  would  do  no  good  — 
that  he  had  given  his  ultimatum.  He  said  "Think  of  but  six 
people  out  last  Sunday  to  hear  a  magnificent  sermon  by  my- 
self, "  all  in  absolute  seriousness.  When  I  tried  to  advise  a  bit 
that  if  the  town  was  so  bad  it  was  his  chance  to  improve  it,  he 
retorted,  "You  can't  tell  me  anything.  I  have  held  larger  po- 
sitions than  you'll  ever  hold.  I  have  influenced  more  people 
than  you'll  ever  have  a  chance  to  influence  and  I've  had  larger 
salaries  than  you  ever  will  have." 

During  the  afternoon  he  did  not  come  near  me  nor  did  he  ask 
me  to  call  on  him.  At  night  I  preached  and  he  read  the  service 
and  read  it  well,  and  after  the  service  I  said,  "Come  around  to- 
morrow morning  and  we  can  talk  things  over  more  carefully." 
"Talking  will  do  no  good.  America  is  going  to  the  dogs.  I'll 
go  away  as  soon  as  I  can  to  some  place  where  I  can  really  in- 
fluence people."  Again  I  urged  that  Park  City  needed  help 
but  he  said  "I  could  only  stay  here  if  I  had  a  big  enough  salary 
to  live  in  proper  style.  I  wish  to  bring  my  wife  on  here  but 
I  couldn't  bring  her  here  unless  she  had  a  servant  to  wait  on 
her.  When  the  minister  receives  less  than  the  working  people 
they  will  not  look  up  to  him  and  respect  him.  If  I  had  my  way 
I  would  change  all  this."  I  humbly  urged  that  "if  he  would 
change  it  all  then  perhaps  Park  City  might  pay  him  the  salary 
he  felt  he  ought  to  have."  When  I  repeated  as  we  walked  out 
of  the  church,  "Come  and  see  me  in  the  morning,"  he  said  a 
very  stiff  "good  night"  and  this  morning  he  hasn't  come  near. 
I  kept  my  temper  and  I  can  see  the  pathos  of  the  situation.  He 
thinks  he  is  capable  of  being  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  and  he 
isn't  captivating  Park  City !  But  it  was  funny  to  hear  him  urge 
on  the  people  in  his  sermon  the  grace  of  humility ! 

Some  of  the  people  like  him  and  perhaps  that  high  and  mighty 
method  is  needed  to  make  the  English  people  here  sit  up  and 
take  notice.  Then  I  suppose  it  is  a  good  thing  for  bishops  to 
be  taught  how  insignificant  they  are,  and  the  other  men  are  all 
so  good  to  me,  that  it  brings  me  to  a  proper  state  of  humility 
to  be  told  how  incompetent  I  am." 


264  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

One  of  the  hardest  things  Bishop  Spalding  ever  did  was 
to  depose  one  of  his  clergy  from  the  ministry.  He  was  in 
the  East  raising  money  for  St.  Mark's  Hospital  when  he 
was  informed  of  the  charges  against  the  man.  The  Canons 
of  the  Church  prescribe  clearly  what  he  should  do  and  he 
did  it.  The  hardest  part  of  it  to  Bishop  Spalding  was,  that 
the  man's  vindication  was  only  possible  by  means  of  the 
proven  conspiracy  of  two  other  clergymen  in  an  infernal 
plot  to  ruin  him.  To  save  the  one  was  to  ruin  the  two,  to 
save  the  two  was  to  ruin  the  one.  "Just  what  the  future 
has  in  store  for  the  Church  in  Salt  Lake  and  its  bishop  I  do 
not  know,"  wrote  Spalding,  "but  the  prayer  for  a  right 
judgment  will  be  said  a  good  many  times.  It  was  hard 
for  me  to  listen  because  I  felt  that  two  defenders  acted  in 
a  hopelessly  stupid  way  and  that  his  friends  are  his  very 
worst  advisers.  I  have  thought  and  prayed  over  it." 
When  the  preliminary  commission  reported  and  ordered  a 
trial,  Spalding  gave  to  the  accused  man  the  choice  of  his 
own  judges.  The  offer  was  refused,  in  high  dudgeon,  the 
man  declaring  that  he  could  get  no  justice  in  Spalding's 
jurisdiction.  The  verdict  was  "guilty"  and  was  sustained 
on  appeal  to  the  higher  court.  The  man  had  his  admirers, 
some  of  whom  never  forgave  the  Bishop  for  not  quashing 
the  affair  at  the  start.  The  one  thing  for  which  he  had  no 
toleration  was  the  dereliction  of  moral  duty  in  a  minister  of 
Christ.  For  wide  divergence  from  orthodoxy  or  intellectual 
opinion  he  had  utmost  consideration  but  on  the  moral  law 
he  stood  as  erect  and  austere  as  the  Wasatch  above  Provo. 

"Too  bad  Dr.  Crapsey  is  condemned,  it  can  do  absolutely 
no  good  that  I  can  see, "  he  wrote  after  that  unhappy  chapter 
in  the  history  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  One  man  who 
shared  Dr.  Crapsey's  view  of  the  Virgin  Birth  wrote  to 
Spalding  and  offered  his  services.     He  was  a  man  of  intel- 


MAN   AMONG  MEN  265 

lectual  integrity,  just  graduating  from  the  General  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  and  felt  that  it  was  incumbent  upon  him 
to  confide  in  his  bishop.  That  shepherd  of  souls  rewarded 
his  confidence  by  excluding  him  from  the  diocesan  fold. 
Trained  for  the  ministry,  eager  to  follow  Christ  as  Lord  and 
Master,  the  young  man  applied  to  a  diocese  in  the  Middle 
West,  only  to  meet  with  an  episcopal  rebuff.  Then  he 
wrote  to  Bishop  Spalding,  telling  him  that  he  wanted  to 
serve  Christ  and  men  and  giving  him  a  full  account  of  his 
belief  and  his  experiences.  Spalding  immediately  told  him 
to  come  to  Utah.  He  met  him  at  the  station,  judged  him 
to  be  a  man  of  intellectual  ability,  moral  integrity  and 
Christian  zeal.  He  put  him  out  in  a  mining  camp  eighty 
miles  from  a  railroad,  and  when  the  man  made  good,  he 
ordained  him.  What  interested  him  in  men  was  their 
loyalty  to  Christ,  not  their  intellectual  orthodoxy  or  heresy. 
"I  suspect,"  he  wrote  at  the  time,  "  that  we  are  all  in  danger 
of  making  Christ  mean  what  we  think  He  ought  to  mean 
instead  of  humbly  letting  Him  teach  us.  Loyalty  to  Christ 
and  loyalty  to  the  Church  do  not  mean  the  same  thing. 
The  High  Churchman  says  that  they  do  mean  the  same  and 
yet  he  certainly  does  make  Christ  say  and  teach  what  he 
wants  Him  to." 

Spalding  did  not,  however,  as  some  Broad  Churchmen 
do,  discount  the  value  of  belief.  He  put  it  where  it  be- 
longs, not  in  the  three-fourths  but  in  the  one-fourth  of  life. 

Jan.  23,  1914. 
I'm  busy  trying  to  write  a  paper  on  the  subject  Creed  and 
Conduct.  I  find  that  most  of  the  men  on  our  Social  Service 
Commission  do  not  want  any  article  on  Mormonism  because  they 
do  not  believe  it  makes  any  difference  what  a  man  believes.  I 
want  to  show  that  it  makes  every  difference.  I've  almost  fin- 
ished it  but  I'm  not  quite  sure  whether  it  is  logical. 


266  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

He  made  a  practice  of  writing  papers  for  clerical 
conferences  and  interdenominational  ministers'  meetings. 
One  of  the  first  papers  he  wrote,  "The  Influence  of  In- 
duction on  Theology,"  written  while  rector  of  St.  Paul's, 
did  more  to  clarify  his  thinking  than  any  one  thing,  so  he 
told  his  men  in  Utah.  Among  such  essays  were  reviews  of 
Bergson's  "  Creative  Evolution,"  James'  "Pragmatism"  and 
Churchill's  "Inside  of  the  Cup."  His  longest  time  for 
reading  was  on  the  trains,  and  he  put  it  to  fruitful  use,  read- 
ing at  all  odd  moments  such  books  as  "The  Life  of  Maurice," 
Gwatkin's  "Knowledge  of  God,"  Haeckel,  and  Lodge's 
"Reply  to  Haeckel,"  Shailer  Mathews'  books,Rauschenbusch, 
Hart's  "  Ecclesia,"  Gore  and  Hatch  on  the  "  Organization  of 
the  Church,"  The  '  Hibbert  Journal'  and  the '  Harvard  Theo- 
logical Review.'  He  felt  that  the  temptation  of  a  bishop's 
life  is  to  become  absorbed  in  necessary  but  petty  business 
details  and  routine,  and  therefore  to  fall  back  on  old  sermons, 
and  to  drift  gradually  out  of  the  current  of  modern  thought. 
He  labored  to  find  time  to  keep  his  own  intellect  alive.  He 
loved  to  talk  to  people  on  the  trains  and  as  he  became  better 
acquainted  he  met  more  people  he  knew  on  the  cars.  But 
he  also  saw  the  danger  of  it.  "If  I  can't  read  there,  I  don't 
know  where  I  can  get  a  chance  to  read."  In  the  prepara- 
tion of  addresses,  as  in  the  essays,  he  took  great  pains. 
"Before  we  went  into  the  convention  of  the  Brotherhood 
of  St.  Andrew,  Bishop  A.  said  to  me,  'what  am  I  to  speak 
about?  I  haven't  the  remotest  idea  and  have  given  the 
subject  no  thought.  Shall  have  to  get  my  speech  from  what 
you  say.  I  seem  to  have  the  gift  or  the  power  of  talking 
any  length  of  time  without  saying  much ! '  So  he  put  down 
his  watch  and  kept  going,  beginning  with  congratulations 
and  felicitations  and  closing  with  pious  exhortations  to 
loyalty  and  prayer.     I  was  down  to  speak  on  the  active 


MAN   AMONG   MEN  267 

work  side  and  he  on  the  spiritual  side."  Of  such  flippant 
treatment  of  religion  Spalding  was  never  guilty.  "As  I 
grow  older,"  he  wrote,  "I  lose  my  nerve.  I  want  to  pre- 
pare too  carefully.  I  somehow  must  read  all  the  books  and 
write  the  whole  thing  out  carefully  and  it  takes  a  lot  of 
time."  What  he  himself  did,  he  commended  to  his  mis- 
sionaries. "Give  them  your  best.  Remember  that  their 
opportunities  to  listen  to  educated  men  are  usually  very 
infrequent.  It  pays  you  to  put  your  very  best  thought 
into  sermons  to  these  small  congregations."  A  hard-headed 
man  once  said  to  him  after  service,  "That  is  the  first  logical 
sermon  I  have  heard  in  years."  He  preached  the  same  ser- 
mon to  six  people  in  a  mining  camp,  and  with  equal  vigor 
and  earnestness,  that  he  preached  in  the  Cathedral  in  New 
York  to  a  thousand  and  more  people.  There  were  men 
whom  he  was  glad  to  see  move  on.  In  Provo  at  one  time 
he  had  a  clergyman  who  changed  the  hour  of  evening  ser- 
vice to  afternoon  "because  so  many  of  the  Mormon  students 
were  coming  in  the  evening.  They  didn't  behave  very  well 
and  it  took  a  good  deal  of:  effort  to  keep  them  quiet  and 
interested.  So  he  changed  the  hour  of  service  to  after- 
noon when  they  couldn't  come,  and  there  could  be  just  the 
orderly  congregation  —  'of  our  own  people.'  Isn't  it  funny, 
when  the  main  thing  is  to  get  the  Mormons  to  come  ?  He 
will  go  away  in  June  and  that  will  close  that  policy." 

Then  there  was  the  man  who  moved  on  for  conscientious 
reasons. 

May  22,  1906. 
S.  is  an  earnest  man  but  very  narrow  and  very  gloomy. 
He  seems  to  feel  doubtful  about  the  righteousness  of  a  smile, 
and  cultivates  the  somber  look  of  a  man  who  has  lost  his  last 
friend.  I  do  not  know  whether  I  can  win  his  confidence  or  not. 
Judge is  a  Baptist  and  Mrs. a  Congregationalist  and 


268  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

both  are  good  Christian  people.  I  told  them  to  come  to  the 
Holy  Communion,  feeling  that  sometime  they  would  be  con- 
firmed. Well  S.  cannot  agree  with  me.  So  he  went  and  asked 
them  to  be  confirmed  and  when  they  said  they  could  never  go 
to  any  other  church  but  the  Episcopal  but  were  not  ready  to 
be  confirmed,  that  it  would  almost  break  the  Judge's  father's 
heart  for  he  is  a  leading  Baptist  divine,  —  forbade  their  coming 
any  more  to  the  Holy  Communion.  They  told  him  they  had 
talked  to  me  and  that  I  said  they  could  come,  but  S.  replied  that 
he  could  not  agree  with  me ;  that  law  was  law  and  the  law  said 
only  the  confirmed  might  commune ;  that,  of  course,  he  must 
obey  his  bishop  but  that  meant  that  he  must  find  another  bishop. 
I  have  tried  to  quote  him  authority,  for  my  own  seems  not  to 
count  with  him  a  bit.  I've  told  him  that  Dr.  Jewett  and  Dr. 
Richey  at  the  Seminary  and  my  father  felt  as  I  did ;  that  of  course 
he  could  find  others  who  took  the  strict  view;  that  he  was 
certainly  in  good  company  if  he  took  the  broader,  kindlier  view. 
But  so  far  I  haven't  budged  him.  Mrs.  S.  was  a  Methodist, 
before  he  married  her,  she  had  to  be  confirmed,  why  should 
others  be  allowed  to  commune  without  confirmation?  I  told 
him  I  thought  he  ought  to  think  of  confirmation  rather  as  a  bless- 
ing than  as  a  legal  requirement,  but  that  hasn't  appealed  to  him. 
It's  too  bad  such  a  good  fellow  insists  on  such  a  hard,  stern,  un- 
bending view  of  things." 

He  identified  himself  with  his  workers  in  detecting  and 
revealing  the  shortcomings  of  missionaries.  We  mission- 
aries, he  would  say  need  this  and  that. 

Feb.  3,  1910. 

I  find  things  in  a  dreadful  muddle  and  I'm  afraid  it  is  the 
fault  of  our  workers.  They  seem  to  have  antagonized  the  whole 
town  by  their  pharisaical  attitude.  I  wonder  whether  we  mis- 
sionaries are  not  a  badly  spoiled  lot.  I  spoke  to  the  super- 
intendent, a  good  man,  of  Miss  X.  (one  of  his  mission- 
aries who   was   also   a   worker   under    the    Government).     "I 


MAN   AMONG   MEN  269 

should  be  sorry  to  lose  Miss  X.,  she  is  a  'capable  employee.' 
I  felt  brought  down  to  the  earth  with  a  bump,  for  it  is  a  far 
cry  from  a  "heroic  consecrated  missionary"  to  a  "capable  em- 
ployee" isn't  it?  That  is  quite  a  come  down  from  what  I  have 
always  called  her,  what  the  Church  calls  her,  and  what  she  calls 
herself.  Miss  A.  has  talked  so  much  against  everybody,  — 
she  being  the  Pharisee  and  all  the  others  the  Publicans  —  that 
she  has  made  herself  very  unpopular.  Miss  B.  it  seems  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  church  or  Sunday  School  so  that  the 
other  missionaries  have  the  idea  that  she  has  lost  all  her  faith 
and  interest  in  religion.  But  she  informs  me  that  she  has  four 
boys  and  six  girls  to  be  baptized  and  two  to  be  confirmed  !  Cer- 
tainly the  Christian  religion  doesn't  seem  to  make  people  easy 
to  live  with.     I  wish  I  had  the  power  to  keep  people  humble. 

D.  &  R.  G.  R.R. 
June  23,  1 91 1. 

A.  is  a  very  elegant  little  man  and  I  think  the  life  at  B.  will 
do  him  a  lot  of  good  if  he  is  man  enough  to  endure  it.  I  had 
told  him  to  take  a  tourist  car  from  St.  Louis  to  Denver,  but  he 
said  he  couldn't  do  it;  that  he  bought  a  berth  in  a  tourist  car 
but  there  were  two  niggers  as  passengers  in  it  and  he  had  never 
ridden  in  the  same  car  with  a  nigger  and  never  would.  He 
said  the  nigger  has  no  right  in  any  connection  with  the  white 
man  except  to  work  for  him,  and  I  suppose  that  thought  enabled 
him  to  put  up  with  the  porter  in  the  standard  car.  It  is  so 
hard  to  keep  one's  temper  with  such  people. 

B.  has  done  no  harm.  He  seems  to  have  the  idea  that  he  is 
appointed  to  H.  by  the  Apostolic  Succession  and  that  therefore 
the  people  ought  to  bow  down  and  obey.  I  suggested  that  a 
better  figure  would  be  that  he  was  nominated  for  office  by  an 
unpopular  party  and  it  was  his  duty  by  personal  attractiveness 
to  get  votes,  which  horrified  him  as  quite  uncatholic. 

When  the  self-governing  parishes  fell  vacant  Bishop 
Spalding  made  no  effort  to  force  upon  their  vestries  a  man 


270  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

of  his  own  choice.  There  were  times  when  he  believed  one 
of  his  own  clergy  was  the  best  man  for  St.  Paul's,  Salt  Lake 
City,  or  the  Cathedral,  and  he  would  like  to  have  seen  one 
of  his  men  rewarded  by  such  promotion ;  on  the  other  hand, 
he  wanted  the  parish  to  take  responsibility  for  their  own 
choice  and  to  acquire  the  strength  which  comes  from  inde- 
pendence. There  were  times,  however,  when  he  felt,  "I'm 
a  very  poor  bishop  because  I  am  not  forceful  enough.  I 
do  not  get  men  into  the  best  places  and  use  them  up  to  the 
fullness  of  their  efficiency." 

Jan.  8,  1911. 

It  is  the  sixth  anniversary  of  my  arrival  in  Utah  and  I  preached 
this  morning  in  the  Cathedral.  I  gave  a  straight  and  simple 
statement  of  the  work  which  has  been  done  and  it  is  quite  a  good 
record,  and  yet  there  is  so  much  more  to  be  done  than  has  been 
done,  that  it's  hard  to  be  encouraged.  To-night  I'm  down  at 
St.  Paul's.  I  wish  they  would  take  either  N.  or  M.  but  I  see 
no  prospect  of  their  doing  it. 

I  don't  get  along  very  fast  with  my  sermon  for  Sanford's 
consecration  and  I  must  begin  to  write  it  out  this  week.  Per- 
haps as  I  write  new  ideas  will  come.  I  suppose,  though,  now 
that  I  am  nearly  46  years  old,  I'll  not  have  any  new  ideas.  I 
wonder  whether  father  would  still  feel  the  same  about  the  Episco- 
pate if  he  had  read  all  the  modern  books.  I  simply  cannot  be- 
lieve in  the  high  church  contention.  The  evidence  is  all  against 
the  exclusive  claims  of  the  Church.  I'm  trying  to  get  real  good 
and  orthodox  by  reading  Bishop  Gore's  "Order  and  Duty," 
but  his  arguments  seem  to  me  entirely  inconclusive.  However, 
there  are  to  be  eight  bishops  there  and  I  will  think  and  pray  over 
it  very  hard,  so  that  what  I  do  say  I'll  be  willing  to  stand  for. 
I've  begun  to  take  the  "Living  Church"  again  because  I  do  want 
to  read  both  sides. 

I'm  sure  Paul  Jones  would  make  a  splendid  secretary  of  the 
Eighth  Department.     I'm  going  to  nominate  him,  but  I  do  hate 


MAN   AMONG   MEN  27 1 

to  lose  him.  Next  year  I'll  have  to  appeal  for  men.  A  change 
must  come  sometime  because  A.  and  B.  will  be  wanted  for  larger 
work,  and  even  though  they  may  be  willing  to  stay  here  their 
fathers  and  mothers  are  unhappy  about  their  being  so  much 
out  of  the  line  of  promotion.  They  feel  as  my  father  felt  about 
my  going  to  Erie. 

The  problem  of  the  new  town  made  him  question  his 
ability  as  a  constructive  organizer.  His  personal  relations 
with  the  ministers  of  other  churches  were  always  cordial 
and  close.  And  he  was  especially  concerned  lest,  by  putting 
forth  his  own  Church,  he  weaken  the  influence  of  true  re- 
ligion. "It  does  seem  wicked  to  double  up  churches  in 
small  towns  where  the  protest  against  Mormonism  ought 
not  to  be  divided.  I  tell  you  the  Mormons  are  keeping 
up  with  things.  In  spite  of  all  my  socialistic  theories  I 
seem  to  be  of  value  only  as  an  individual  preacher  and  not 
as  a  constructive  organizer."  It  was  frequently  a  com- 
plicated problem.  In  Myton,  for  example,  Mr.  Hersey  of 
Vernal  established  a  "union"  Sunday  School.  Later  a 
Presbyterian  clergyman  founded  a  church  in  Myton  and 
tried  to  annex  the  "Union"  Sunday'  School.  In  other 
places  where  ministers  of  other  churches  had  established 
their  work  he  resolved  "to  do  nothing  that  is  likely  to  hurt 
the  work  of  good  men."  At  the  General  Convention  of  19 13 
he  pleaded  for  a  genuine  alignment  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
with  other  churches  in  the  Federal  Council  of  Churches. 

The  Convocation  of  the  District  was  an  event  in  the  lives 
of  the  men.  Bishop  Spalding  was  given  a  sum  of  money  to 
make  it  possible  for  every  man  to  attend.  "It  was  the 
best  Convocation  we  have  ever  had,"  he  wrote  in  1914. 
"Everybody  who  was  appointed  to  take  part  did  well  be- 
cause they  had  made  careful  preparation  and  the  discussions 
were  all  to  the  point." 


272  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

He  believed  that  every  one  had  good  points  and  he  tried 
to  appreciate  them.  After  seeing  Forbes  Robertson  in 
"The  Third  Floor  Back"  he  wrote : 

Dec.  9,  1911. 

I  suppose  the  way  we  can  help  the  good  in  others  to  have  its 
chance  is  by  being  our  simple  natural  selves,  but  when  that 
thought  is  a  character  it  must  be  made  more  dignified  and  other 
worldly.  To  me  the  lesson  which  was  so  consistently  taught  was 
that  criticism  isn't  worth  half  as  much  as  commendation.  I 
know  it  is  far  easier  for  me  to  pick  flaws  than  to  praise  virtues. 
I  wonder  whether  that  is  really  and  always  true.  Didn't  our 
Lord  tell  Peter  that  he  was  like  Satan  as  well  as  tell  him  he  was 
a  Rock.  I'm  inclined  to  think  that  sometimes  before  the  good 
has  a  fair  chance  the  self  satisfaction  in  the  bad  must  be  knocked 
out  and  that  takes  hard  blows.  Nicodemus  had  to  be  called  a 
baby,  when  he  thought  he  was  a  very  nice  man,  before  he  could 
be  born  from  above,  i.e.,  let  the  divine  and  true  part  of  him  really 
live. 

Bishop  Spalding's  humor  and  humility  made  him  irre- 
sistible as  a  leader  of  men.  They  were  surprised  and  at- 
tracted by  these  traits  in  his  character.  He  possessed  so 
obviously  a  strong,  manly  self-assertiveness,  he  expressed 
his  opinion  in  no  uncertain  nor  unqualified  way,  he  was 
so  commanding  in  poise,  and  big  and  courageous  in  what 
he  undertook.  And  yet  he  had  extraordinary  modesty. 
He  seemed  devoid  of  any  more  than  an  adequate  conscious- 
ness of  his  intellectual  and  spiritual  power.  His  position 
as  a  bishop  brought  him  no  pride  but  rather  the  gravest 
humiliation  over  his  unfitness  for  the  responsibility  it  placed 
upon  him. 

The  man  was  strong  and  fearless  because  he  was  ready 
to  sacrifice  everything  for  Utah.  Had  he  hoped  to  be  called 
to  an  Eastern  diocese  he  never  would  have  given  the  speech 


MAN    AMONG    MEN  273 

at  the  General  Convention,  or  criticized  before  his  own 
Convocation  the  action  of  New  Jersey  in  extending  a 
call  to  the  Bishop  of  the  Philippines. 

To  Bishop  Brent 

I  was  impressed  last  Spring,  when  the  "Home  Missions  Coun- 
cil" met  in  Salt  Lake  City,  with  the  absolute  importance  of  having 
on  our  Board  of  Missions  experts  for  the  different  parts  of  the  mis- 
sion field.  When  I  met  in  Salt  Lake  the  Home  Missionary  Sec- 
retaries of  the  Baptists,  Presbyterians,  Methodists,  Congre- 
gationalists  and  so  forth,  and  realized  what  keen  intelligent  men 
they  were,  I  couldn't  help  wishing  that  on  our  Board  of  Mis- 
sions there  was  a  man  equally  expert  as  to  our  Domestic  field. 
Then,  too,  these  men  raised  money  as  well  as  advised  about  its 
expenditure.  The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Mis- 
sions seems  to  me  more  a  distributing  agency  than  a  producing 
agency.  There  is  a  movement  on  the  part  of  the  Board  to  per- 
suade all  the  Domestic  bishops  to  go  on  the  foreign  missionary 
basis  and  Bishop  Beecher  has  done  so.  It  would  be  a  great 
relief  for  Utah  to  be  on  that  basis  but  I  have  been  in  Utah  for 
ten  years  and  I  know,  for  certain,  that  I  don't  begin  to  under- 
stand the  Mormon  question  and  I,  therefore,  can't  help  feeling 
that  John  W.  Wood,  genius  though  he  be,  can  hardly  understand 
the  Mormon  question  along  with  the  Chinese  question,  the 
Japanese  question,  the  Philippine  Islands  question  and  all  the  other 
questions.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  there  was  on  the  Board  of 
Missions  a  representative  of  the  VIII  Province,  whose  business 
it  was  to  find  out  all  he  could  about  Utah  then  I'd  be  more  than 
glad  to  have  Utah  on  the  foreign  missionary  basis. 

But  may  I  say  that  I  was  particularly  grateful  to  learn  that 
you  are  opposed  to  the  election  of  missionary  bishops  to  dioceses. 
I  am  afraid  I  was  pretty  fresh  in  my  Convocation  address  in 
referring  to  your  election  to  the  Diocese  of  New  Jersey  but  I 
lived  five  years  in  New  Jersey  and  felt  that  I  knew  something 
about  the  situation  there.     All  the  reasons  that  you  assign;  for 


274  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

being  opposed  to  missionary  bishops  being  elected  diocesan 
bishops  seem  to  me  to  be  absolutely  valid,  and,  although  perhaps 
it  is  a  little  unpleasant  to  mention,  I  also  believe  that  the  ad- 
ditional reason  I  ventured  to  give  is  a  real  one.  When  there  is 
a  dead-lock  it's  very  convenient  to  run  in  a  missionary  bishop  as 
a  dark  horse.  Being  already  in  the  House  of  Bishops  his  elec- 
tion is  not  so  much  a  party  victory.  I  am  about  the  last  man 
fitted  to  be  a  diocesan  bishop  and  yet  I  have  actually  been 
approached  in  regard  to  election  to  three  dioceses,  so  I  can  ap- 
preciate, although  of  course  only  to  a  small  degree,  the  per- 
plexity and  mental  discomfort  that  you  have  been  put  to  con- 
tinually. 

To  His  Mother 

June  21,  1914. 

Here  is  my  address.  It's  just  what  you  say  I  ought  not  to  do. 
It  puts  me  in  Utah  until  I  die  and  that  is  the  way  it  ought  to  be, 
unless  I  fail  to  make  good  in  Utah.  Then  the  Board  can  send 
me  somewhere  else.  Mr.  A.  said  it  settled  the  old  question 
whether  a  man  could  ordain  or  marry  himself.  I  did  both  to 
myself  and  Utah. 

I've  been  both  to  St.  Peter's  and  St.  Paul's  and  had  dinner 
down  there.  It  makes  one  sort  of  homesick  for  the  old  parish 
life  —  this  preaching  to  the  same  congregation  each  Sunday  and 
talking  to  the  same  Sunday  School. 

I  wish  you  would  correct  the  idea  that  I  have  been  recommend- 
ing any  man  for  St.  Paul's,  Erie.  I've  never  tried  in  any  way  to 
meddle  with  St.  Paul's  since  I  left  it. 

With  all  his  humility  he  was  quick  to  defend  the  dignity 
of  the  missionary.  When  a  vacancy  occurred  in  the  mis- 
sionary episcopate  Bishop  Spalding  asked  Bishop  Nichols 
why  he  did  not  nominate  Mr.  Parsons  of  Berkeley.  "Par- 
sons," replied  the  Bishop,  "is  too  big  a  man  for  the  mission 
field,  he  is  needed  for  some  diocese."  "No  man,"  replied 
Spalding,  "  is  big  enough  for  the  mission  field." 


MAN    AMONG    MEN  275 

March  18,  1914. 
"Did  you  see  the  fine  editorial  in  the  Spirit  of  Missions  about 
the  Bishop  Tuttle  fifty  years  memorial.  I  called  John  Wood's 
attention  to  the  St.  Louis  proposal  to  build  a  church  there,  say- 
ing I  thought  it  was  all  wrong  to  celebrate  a  man  who  won  fame 
because  he  had  been  a  missionary  bishop,  by  building  a  city 
church." 

In  the  mountains  of  Utah  the  highest  spiritual  idealism 
of  this  generation  found  expression,  in  the  little  company  of 
men  around  Spalding.  It  recalls  to  mind  a  little  company 
that  once  gathered  in  Athens  and  another  group  which  as- 
sembled in  Jerusalem.  Young  men  from  the  seminary,  and 
others  from  parishes,  went  to  Utah  to  work,  drawn  there  by 
this  inspiring  leader.  As  they  entered  more  deeply  into 
his  confidence  they  found  themselves  uplifted  and  strength- 
ened to  fight  for  Christ  and  humanity.  Money  may  have 
been  lost  by  their  superb  heroism,  but  men  were  won.  In 
their  moments  of  discouragement  and  perplexity  it  was  his 
unconquerable  assurance  that  cheered  them.  "As  far  as 
we  can  see,  it  is  a  job  that  needs  to  be  done.  As  far  as  we 
can  see  there  is  no  one  else  to  do  it.  We  must  not  stop  to 
argue  about  our  fitness.  Trying  is  our  business.  Success 
is  in  God's  hands." 


XVII 

Manoach 

"Don't  hire  a  man  to  do  any  carpentry  work  that  I  can 
do  because  I  love  to  do  that  sort  of  thing."  So  Frank 
Spalding  wrote  his  mother  in  June,  1914,  as  ne  looked  for- 
ward to  his  summer  vacation.  The  family  owned  a  beautiful 
ranch  for  their  summer  home  in  the  upper  Platte  Canon 
about  sixty  miles  west  of  Denver,  to  which  he  had  given 
the  Hebrew  name  "Manoach"  or  "place  of  rest."  There 
it  was  Frank's  custom  to  spend  his  summer  vacations  with 
his  mother  and  sisters.  At  Manoach  he  was  not  the  bishop, 
only  the  son,  the  brother  and  the  friend.  And  yet  he 
brought  to  that  haven  of  rest  all  the  gathered  wealth  of 
thought  and  experience  of  a  life  full  of  exciting  incident 
and  spiritual  adventure. 

Not  granted  the  privilege  and  joy  of  having  a  family  of 
his  own,  his  love  of  home,  which  was  deep,  was  concentrated 
upon  the  home  of  his  mother.  No  man  could  be  a  more 
completely  devoted  son.  The  obedience  which  he  rendered 
to  his  mother's  every  wish  was  as  absolute  as  if  he  were 
still  a  child  at  her  knee.  He,  the  man  of  great  physical 
and  moral  courage,  would  look  anxiously  at  his  watch,  at 
the  end  of  a  long  day's  tramp,  as  the  darkness  deepened, 
and  in  spite  of  the  protests  of  companions,  who  were  tired 
and  wished  to  lag  behind,  he  would  lengthen  out  that  un- 
wearying stride  of  his  in  order  to  be  at  the  gate  where  he 
knew  his  mother  would  be  watching  for  him,  exactly  at  the 

276 


MANOACH  277 

moment  he  had  promised  her.  In  the  embrace  of  his  in- 
timate affection  he  included  his  sisters.  His  daily  letters 
home  were  usually  addressed  "Dearest  Mother  and  Elisa- 
beth or  Sarah,"  or  "  Girls"  ;  frequently,  "Dear  Everybody." 
The  daily  program  at  Manoach  was  a  simple  one.  In 
the  morning  his  large  correspondence  and  work  upon  his 
various  annual  reports,  was  followed  by  the  "chores" ;  his 
boyhood  skill  in  carpentry  was  retained  and  Manoach  was 
furnished  with  tables,  bookcases  and  chairs  of  his  own  work- 
manship. In  the  afternoon  he  would  walk  down  the  canon 
to  the  cottage  of  his  brother,  with  whom  he  had  always  main- 
tained intimacy  and  in  whose  children  he  found  deep  joy. 
In  the  evening  there  was  reading  aloud  about  the  open  fire, 
and  before  bedtime,  which  was  fixed  by  his  mother  at  nine 
o'clock,  a  game  of  dominoes  without  fail.  He  carried  his 
camera  wherever  he  went  and  took  artistic  and  beautiful 
pictures,  which  he  developed  and  printed  himself,  having 
built  a  dark  room  and  a  room  for  velox  printing  at  Manoach. 
Two  or  three  times  a  week  an  all-day's  tramp  was  taken 
among  the  mountains  and  once  each  summer  there  was  a 
camping  trip  of  several  days,  usually  to  the  big  country 
around  Mt.  Evans.  This  particular  mountain,  the  loftiest 
in  that  part  of  Colorado,  had  a  singular  fascination  for 
Frank  Spalding.  Every  visitor  at  Manoach  was  sure  of 
being  taken  up  the  slope  just  in  front  of  the  house  from 
which  a  glimpse  could  be  gained  of  the  great  crags  of  Mt. 
Evans ;  and  if  the  guest  only  stayed  long  enough,  he  could 
generally  count  on  a  nearer  acquaintance  with  the  noble 
peak.  To  roam  far  above  timber  line  over  the  vast  bowlder 
fields  of  precipitous  ledges  of  this  mighty  mountain  was 
the  greatest  pleasure  of  Frank  Spalding  in  the  summer. 
"No  one,"  he  declared,  "has  seen  a  mountain  until  he  has 
been  on  top  of  it." 


278  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

For  Manoach  he  longed  as  the  summer  approached,  and 
when  the  month  was  over  he  looked  back  upon  it  with 
wistful  regret.  No  inducements  to  be  summer  preacher 
in  New  York  or  Philadelphia  could  take  one  day  from 
Manoach,  as  they  could  not  persuade  him  to  take  a  day 
from  his  regular  work.  When  he  preached  in  Trinity  and 
Grace,  New  York,  and  St.  Paul's,  Boston,  it  was  on  one  of 
his  begging  trips ;  at  other  times  he  reluctantly  put  such 
temptations  behind  him.  "When  one  is  preaching  to  a 
handful  of  people  out  here  it  is  an  opportunity  or  a  tempta- 
tion to  address  a  crowd  in  the  East.  But  I'm  clear  in  my 
own  mind,  one  cannot  be  the  bishop  of  a  Western  diocese 
and  an  eloquent  preacher  in  New  York."  At  Manoach  he 
preached  every  Sunday  for  the  people  and  summer  visitors, 
and  always  ministered  to  them  in  time  of  sorrow  or  death. 

To  One  Who  Had  Lost  a  Brother 

The  very  rush  and  fret  and  worry  to  this  life  makes  one  feel 
the  blessedness  of  those  who  rest  from  their  labors  when  they 
leave  behind  them  noble  works.  Sad  as  it  is  I  can't  help  feel- 
ing that  there  is  a  glory  about  it  too,  like  that  of  those  who  die 
in  battle,  living  just  long  enough  to  know  that  the  fight  has  been 
won.  Surely  all  the  sadness  comes  to  us,  and  it  is  selfishness 
which  prompts  us  to  wish  they  were  still  with  us.  I  feel  so  sure 
that  death  is  just  an  event  in  endless  life  and  that  after  it,  comes 
greater  knowledge  and  nobler  service  and  deeper  love  and  higher 
joy,  that  when  it  comes  to  those  I  know,  I  feel  that  I  am  untrue 
to  the  best  I  know  if  I  do  not  try  to  feel  a  solemn  happiness  for 
them.  They  have  been  promoted  —  as  good  and  faithful  ser- 
vants they  have  entered  into  the  joy  of  their  Lord. 

To  a  Friend 

I  am  convinced  that  it  is  a  clergyman's  duty  to  speak  his  mind 
frankly  on  all  matters  social  and  political  which  have  a  moral 


MANOACH  279 

side  though  I  believe  he  can  often  do  it  more  usefully  outside 
his  pulpit  than  in  it.  I  am  a  socialist  but  I  think  I  can  get  in 
my  work  for  socialism  elsewhere  and  as  a  special  lecturer  more 
usefully  than  in  the  pulpit.  In  every  case  that  I  know  about 
where  a  clergyman  has  gotten  into  trouble  because  of  his  ac- 
knowledged position  in  reform  movements  he  had  neglected  his 
distinctly  spiritual  duties  and  his  conventional  clerical  obliga- 
tions. You  remember  Raymond  Robbins'  illustration.  It  is 
a  rule  of  artillery  that  a  cannon  must  weigh  100  times  as  much 
as  the  charge  put  into  it.  Social  Service  is  a  heavy  charge, 
therefore  the  clergyman  who  fires  it  must  weigh  himself  down 
by  a  careful  attention  in  his  personal  and  official  life  to  all  the 
strictly  religious  duties  of  his  life  and  office. 

I  believe  it  would  be  interesting  to  find  out  how  many  of 
the  bishops,  who  are  supposed  to  be  leaders,  belong  to  the  great 
national  societies  of  reform.  It  came  to  me  as  a  shock  to  find  in 
the  last  list  of  the  Anti-tuberculosis  Society  that  the  Bishop  of 
Los  Angeles  and  myself  seemed  to  be  the  only  members.  I 
shall  look  forward  most  eagerly  to  reading  your  paper.  It  is  a 
most  vital  subject  and  I  need  to  learn.     Mr.  A.,  who  gave  the 

cathedral  site  in  S ,  told  me  he  was  absolutely  opposed  to 

social  service.  "When  I  go  to  church,"  he  said,  "I  go  to  be 
soothed  and  comforted,  not  to  be  irritated."  That  is  typical 
I'm  afraid. 

To  One  Intellectually  Troubled 

Aug.  6,  1914. 
I've  been  thinking  ever  since  I  was  at  your  house  at  dinner, 
of  our  conversation  about  love  and  law  and  prayer,  and  have 
been  wanting  to  try  to  express  more  clearly  what  I  meant,  and, 
what  I  feel  now,  I  did  not  state  helpfully  then.  Do  you  mind 
my  writing  you  a  sort  of  sermon  ?  This  view  of  God's  love  and 
the  value  of  prayer  in  a  world  governed  by  law,  has  come  to 
mean  a  great  deal  to  me  —  far  more  than  the  old,  and  now  I 
think  childish  idea  I  used  to  have.  When  we  were  children, 
either  in  years  or  in  mental  development  —  our  thought  of 


28o  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

God  was  on  the  level  with  our  thought  of  man.  It  must  always 
be  so,  for  man  is  the  highest  symbol  we  have  of  personal  action 
and  power,  and  we  must  rise  from  that  to  our  thought  of  God. 
As  children  the  best  man  to  our  thinking  was  the  man  who  gave 
us  just  exactly  what  we  wanted  and  when  we  wanted  it.  So 
we  thought  of  God  as  One  who  was  all  powerful,  and  therefore 
in  an  instant  could  and  would  give  us  just  what  we  wanted.  It 
was  in  this  simple  spirit  we  offered  our  prayer,  just  as  R —  says 
"Cousin  Frank,  do  another  trick."  Now  when  we  grow  older, 
when  we  become  men,  we  put  away  childish  things  in  every 
sphere  save  religion.  We  know  that  the  strong,  true  man  is 
not  the  man  whose  action  is  determined  by  every  request  we 
may  make  to  him,  but  rather  whose  action  is  decided  by  high 
principles  of  honor  and  justice  and  wisdom.  These  virtues 
do  not  exclude  love,  —  they  are  the  foundation  of  love,  —  with- 
out them  the  action  would  not  be  loving.  Therefore  I  feel  sure, 
our  thought  of  God,  if  it  be  a  grown,  mature  thought,  must  rise 
from  this  truer  thought  of  man,  and  we  must  think  of  Him  as 
guided  by  the  most  perfect  justice  and  wisdom,  in  order  that 
He  may  be  perfect  love.  Now  this  does  not  destroy  prayer,  it 
really  saves  it.  If  you  are  sure  that  a  man  is  the  very  soul  of 
honor  and  will  not  grant  any  request  which  is  not  a  wise  request, 
you  are  not  deterred  from  asking  his  help.  He  is  of  all  men  the 
one  to  whom  you  will  go  in  difficulty.  Or  take  this  illustration. 
You  once  told  me  that  when  you  found  that  there  was  no  Santa 
Claus,  you  doubted  the  existence  of  God.  To  you,  as  a  child, 
Christmas  joy  depended  upon  that  fantastic,  whimsical  figure. 
Presents,  to  be  really  presents,  must  have  been  manufactured  at 
the  North  Pole,  brought  down  by  Reindeer,  and  through  the 
chimney.  You  prayed  that  Santa  Claus  would  not  fail  to  be 
generous  and  would  bring  you  just  the  things  you  had  been  long- 
ing for.  Now,  as  a  mother,  when  you  know  the  mother  and 
father  love,  the  loving  planning  for  the  children's  Christmas  joy, 
isn't  Christmas  more  wonderful  than  the  old  Santa  Claus  idea 
could  possibly  be?  And  if  you,  as  a  mother,  want  to  give  to 
children  the  highest  joy,  the  most  lasting  value,  do  you  not  think 


MANOACH  28l 

of  laws  of  health,  laws  of  unselfishness,  laws  of  fairness,  and 
obey  those  laws  absolutely? 

And  one  can  press  this  analogy  even  farther,  I  think.  "God 
treats  us  as  sons"  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  says.  His  knowl- 
edge of  the  real  worth  of  life  is  far  deeper  and  truer  than  ours, 
as  much  greater  than  ours  as  ours  is  greater  than  our  children's, 
"and  of  very  faithfulness  He  may  cause  us  to  be  troubled." 
The  old  comfort  of  the  hope  of  immortality,  —  that  is  —  that 
we  shall  have  such  a  good  time  in  heaven  that  we  can  put  up 
with  trouble  here,  is  of  course  small  and  mean,  but  the  confidence 
of  immortality  brings  a  comfort  and  strength  which  is  not  small 
and  mean.  It  means  that  life  is  so  wonderful  that  its  values  are 
not  to  be  judged  by  the  fleeting  joys  of  this  life,  any  more  than 
the  joys  of  this  life  are  to  be  judged  by  the  joy  a  baby  gets  out 
of  a  rattle.  To  have  had  a  chance  to  cultivate  faith  and 
patience,  and  purity  and  love  and  truthfulness,  and  humility 
and  courage  and  steadfastness  and  obedience,  is  proof  enough 
of  the  love  of  the  God  Who  gives  the  Chance  to  us,  and  Who 
shows  us  ways  in  which  these  really  great  things  can  be 
won,  not  by  over-riding  law,  but  by  obeying  law,  not  by 
thinking  of  Him  as  a  law  breaker,  but  rather  by  thinking  of 
Him  as  One  Who  is  unfailingly  and  eternally  all  that  our 
consciences  tell  us  we  ought  to  be. 

The  more  I  think  this  out,  the  clearer  it  is  to  me,  that  the 
conviction  of  God  as  a  God  of  law,  does  not  destroy  love,  but 
guarantees  it,  —  does  not  silence  prayer,  but  gives  us  a  confident 
encouragement. 

Frank  was  the  life  of  the  family  gathering.  So  quick 
to  make  and  see  fun,  so  big  hearted  and  kindly  behind  his 
teasing  and  humor  that  the  sun  burst  forth  when  he  arrived 
and  went  under  a  cloud  on  his  departure.  There  was  a 
"Poetry"  game  which  the  family  played  in  which  each 
wrote  an  anonymous  doggerel  verse.  Frank's  was  so  unique 
and  funny  that  all  recognized  his  handiwork  the  moment 


282  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

it  was  read,  looked  for  it,  and  applauded.  One  of  the  clever- 
est of  his  screeds  was  "The  Bible  for  the  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury Child"  which  found  its  way  into  print.  It  was  a  take- 
off on  the  Higher  Criticism  of  the  Bible.  Written  as  a  joke, 
it  did  not  represent  Spalding's  real  convictions.  He  ac- 
cepted the  main  results  of  historical  criticism,  though  he 
always  maintained  the  somewhat  skeptical  attitude  of  the 
man  of  affairs  toward  the  claimed  results  of  purely  literary 
criticism.  He  once  declared  that  he  would  like  to  write 
a  book  to  show  that  all  the  critics  were  wrong  and  that  the 
Fourth  Gospel  was  really  the  first  and  primary  Gospel. 
The  Fourth  Gospel  more  than  any  other  seemed  to  him  to 
let  one  into  the  real  mind  of  Christ. 

For  the  judgment  of  his  mother  and  sisters  he  had  pro- 
found respect.  His  article  on  Church  Unity,  published 
in  the  '  Atlantic  Monthly '  in  May,  191 3,  was  written  in  Salt 
Lake  City  in  the  spring  and  sent  to  the  family  with  the  in- 
junction, "Make  such  changes  in  this  as  you  think  fit." 
They  talked  it  all  over  at  Manoach  in  the  summer.  His 
mother  was  a  conservative  churchwoman,  and  with  her  clear 
understanding  of  that  position  and  gift  of  expression  she 
was  able  always  to  help  Frank  see  how  a  large  element  in  the 
Church  would  take  his  utterances.  One  of  his  sisters  was  as 
rationalistic  as  himself,  and  the  other,  an  artist,  appreciated 
the  aesthetic  side  of  ritualism.  His  own  family,  therefore, 
was  a  transcript  of  the  ecclesiastical  family.  As  Spalding 
finished  his  great  address  in  the  Cathedral  of  St.  John  the 
Divine  he  turned  partly  toward  the  high  altar  as  he  spoke 
of  the  spiritual  food  the  Church  had  for  working-men. 
"That  reference,"  exclaimed  one  man,  "won  me.  I  was 
antagonized  by  what  he  said  up  to  that  point."  Spalding's 
unique  ability  to  reach  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  church- 
manship,  in  spite  of  his  pronounced  Broad  Churchmanship, 


MANOACH  283 

was  due  in  no  small  degree  to  his  family  who  pointed  out  to 
him  the  little  things  that  offend. 

The  object  of  the  "Atlantic"  article  was  to  prove  that 
if  we  are  ever  to  have  Christian  Unity  it  will  be  because 
the  prayer  of  the  Commission  on  Faith  and  Order  is  not 
answered.  "So  long  as  the  chief  business  of  ecclesiastical 
organizations  was  to  teach  dogmas,  isolation  was  inevitable 
and  desirable. . . .  When,  however,  religious  societies  accept 
the  obligation  of  social  service,  combination  is  necessary 
for  efficiency."  He  insisted  that  in  planning  for  Christian 
unity,  ethical  and  religious  values  are  of  the  first  importance. 
The  problem  is  psychological,  not  theological.  We  can 
learn  about  human  nature  if  we  try :  and  when  we  know 
human  nature  we  can  so  order  it,  that  God  can  find  His 
way  in.  What  is  needed  to-day  is  neither  a  creed  nor  an 
accredited  order  of  priests,  but  a  society  in  which  every 
child  of  man  can  find  moral  strength  and  spiritual  joy. 
The  United  Church  of  the  future  must  provide  for  three 
varieties  of  religious  experience  —  the  man  who  satisfies 
his  religious  craving  through  the  senses;  the  man  who, 
like  Hegel,  worships  by  thinking;  the  man  to  whom  God 
comes  in  a  subliminal  uprush.  As  for  the  future  organiza- 
tion of  religious  experience  the  article,  with  keen  analysis, 
exposed  the  theory  of  "organism"  which  many  in  his  own 
Church  were  advocating.  He  also  declared  that  Congre- 
gationalism and  Presbyterianism  are  admittedly  illogical 
in  the  mission  field.  "Possibly  the  Methodist  form  of 
Episcopal  leadership  may  be  more  useful  than  either  the 
Roman,  the  Anglican  or  the  Greek.  That  can  be  decided 
on  practical  grounds ;  it  is  by  fruits,  not  by  roots,  we  are 
to  be  judged.  Christianity,  however,  is  a  historic  religion, 
a  truth  so  important  that  risks  must  be  taken  to  prevent 
its  being  forgotten.     That  truth  of  fundamental  importance 


284  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

will  be  safeguarded  by  the  preservation  of  the  Historic 
Episcopate."  For  the  proposed  World  Conference  on 
Faith  and  Order  Spalding  had  no  use.  Such  a  proposal 
"was  much  as  if,  when  a  convention  of  mothers  had 
shown  complete  unanimity  of  opinion  in  praising  the 
glory  and  dignity  of  motherhood  and  the  beauty  and 
promise  of  childhood,  some  wise  one  should  decide  that 
it  would  be  a  good  time  to  secure  agreement  on  the 
best  formula  for  sterilizing  milk —  Christian  Unity 
will  never  come  until  the  followers  of  Jesus  Christ  realized 
that  His  religion  depends  not  upon  exact  thinking,  but 
upon  Christlike  living." 

In  this  article  in  the  "Atlantic,"  Bishop  Spalding  worked 
out  an  idea  of  unity  which  he  had  been  turning  over  in  his 
mind  and  discussing  with  his  friends  for  several  years.  It 
represented  his  deliberate  judgment,  based  upon  his  study 
of  Christian  history,  his  wide  experience  in  missions  and 
his  association  with  men  of  other  churches.  It  seemed  to 
some  of  his  own  colleagues  little  less  than  schismatic.  "In 
spite  of  that  article  I  love  you  still,"  wrote  one  of  his  old 
friends.  In  his  own  experience  the  religion  of  Jesus  was  a 
vital  and  glowing  reality,  beside  which  the  external  expres- 
sions of  faith  and  order  were  as  nothing.  It  was  this  reli- 
gious reality  that  impressed  men  who  came  under  the  spell 
of  his  influence.  A  little  boy  who  knew  Spalding  was  once 
told  that  he  must  grow  up  to  be  a  good  man  like  his  father. 
"What  do  little  boys  do  who  haven't  any  father?"  was  his 
query.  Then  he  answered  it  himself .  "Oh,  I  know.  They 
have  Christ  and  Mr.  Spalding." 

Although  he  based  his  faith  in  the  unity  of  the  Church 
on  experience,  nevertheless  he  found  in  the  Church  idea, 
which  is  especially  emphasized  by  those  communions  which 
claim  the  privilege  of  historic  orders,  a  constant  source  of 


MANOACH  285 

inspiration  and  support.  In  his  consecration  as  a  bishop 
in  a  historical  succession  he  felt  that  his  Church  had  given 
him  a  commission  which  guaranteed  to  him  an  authority 
in  his  work  for  righteousness  which  his  extreme  modesty 
would  scarcely  have  claimed,  if  his  lot  had  been  cast  in 
another  communion.  This  sense  that  his  work  was  not 
the  work  of  an  individual  simply,  but  was  an  organic  part 
of  the  Church  which  he  represented,  and  had  a  value  over 
and  above  the  purely  personal  element  in  it,  while  it  did 
not  express  itself  in  adventitious  forms,  was  a  distinct  ele- 
ment of  power  in  his  religious  work.  "A  commission, " 
he  declared  in  the  sermon  at  the  consecration  of  Bishop 
Sanford,  "does  not  make  a  coward  a  hero,  but  it  gives  a 
brave  man  a  chance  to  fight."  It  was  not  the  office  but 
the  consecrated  manhood  that  was  put  into  it,  saving  it 
from  being  a  mere  office,  —  that  measures  its  usefulness. 

On  August  15,  1 9 14,  Bishop  Spalding  left  Manoach  for 
Salt  Lake. 

A  Postal 

6.20  a.m.  Sunday. 

Just  coming  to  Salt  Lake  over  16  hours  late  but  in  good  order. 
People  in  tourist  cars  are  all  good  natured.  The  Senior  Warden 
of  Fond  du  Lac  treated  me  to  dinner  last  night  —  to  pay  me, 
I  guess,  for  giving  lower  berth  to  his  wife  and  daughter.  I  go 
on  to  Ogden. 

The  war  had  broken  out  and  Bishop  Spalding's  first 
sermon,  on  his  return,  was  on  Peace.  When  he  first  visited 
the  Uintah  country  and  saw  the  soldiers  drilling  at  the 
fort,  he  wrote,  "  what  a  waste  of  money  it  is,  learning  to 
kill."  Closer  acquaintance  with  our  soldiers  on  the  reser- 
vation disgusted  him  with  their  drunkenness  and  idleness. 
Spalding  repudiated  the  whole  idea  of  a  military  establish- 
ment.    When    militarism  revealed  itself  in  August    1914 


286  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

he  at  once  prepared  a  lecture  and  sermon  on  peace,  and 
gave  them  both  in  every  town  he  visited  in  August  and 
September.  At  the  great  Labor  Day  meeting  in  the  Ca- 
thedral he  put  before  the  working-men  the  duty  of  the 
workers  of  the  world  to  unite  for  peace.  At  Tooele  the 
Socialists  wanted  him  to  speak  for  Socialism,  but  he  spoke 
to  them  on  War  and  Peace. 

Salt  Lake,  September  n,  1914. 

The  war  is  certainly  horrible.  I'm  thinking  of  trying  for  the 
prize  of  $1000  offered  for  the  best  essay  by  a  clergyman  on 
Peace.  I  have  an  idea  I  want  to  try  to  work  out,  i.e.,  How  can 
we  substitute  ideals  of  peaceful  heroism  for  ideals  of  warlike 
heroism?  That  is  the  big  problem.  St.  Paul  used  the  illustra- 
tion of  the  soldier  for  the  struggles  of  the  man  for  right  living 
and  made  it  respectable.  I  feel  that  we  must  cut  that  all  out. 
The  teacher,  the  thinker,  the  explorer,  the  inventor,  the  worker, 
the  preacher,  the  physician  and  nurse  are  all  finer  types  of  the 
hero  and  patriot  than  the  soldier  and  yet  we  go  on  singing  "On- 
ward, Christian  Soldiers!" 

I'm  not  offering  these  samples  as  a  finished  product  but  just 
to  give  the  idea.  What  do  you  think  of  it?  When  one  thinks 
of  the  horror  of  war  and  realizes  that  the  soldier  is  a  sort  of  sur- 
vival of  a  savage  barbarous  age,  surely  we  ought  not  to  dignify 
the  idea  by  use  in  the  worship  of  One  who  said,  Blessed  are  the 
peace  makers.  In  the  baptism  service  we  ought  to  change  the 
words,  "Fight  manfully  under  His  banner,"  to  "Work  faithfully 
for  His  cause"  or  something  which  doesn't  suggest  war.  I 
don't  believe  our  Lord  ever  used  the  soldier  metaphor.  St. 
Paul  introduced  it  and  it  became  popular  when  the  great  heroes 
were  soldiers.  That  time  is  gone  we  hope  for  ever.  In  the  In- 
dian country  where  soldiers  are  many  of  them  drunkards  and 
all  of  them  are  lazy,  what  decent  idea  of  the  Christian  can  the 
soldier  possibly  give  to  the  Indian  child. 


MANOACH  287 

HYMN 

Onward,  Christian  workers, 
Laboring  for  peace, 
By  the  love  of  Jesus 
Making  strife  to  cease. 
Christ,  the  lowly  toiler, 
Tells  us  what  to  seek, 
Wretched  are  the  mighty, 
Blessed  are  the  meek. 

Chorus 

Onward,  Christian  workers, 
Marching  on  to  peace, 
By  the  love  of  Jesus 
Making  strife  to  cease. 

At  His  sign  of  triumph, 
Earthly  loss  seems  gain. 
He  will  help  us  carry 
Each  his  load  of  pain. 
Hate  and  cold  indifference 
Yield  to  prayer  and  praise, 
As  each  brother  labors 
Helpless  ones  to  raise.  —  Chorus. 

Like  a  mighty  workshop 
Is  the  Church  of  Christ, 
Making  all  that's  needed, 
Everything  unpriced. 
Working  all  together, 
Free  from  greed  and  hate, 
Competition  ended, 
All  cooperate.  —  Chorus. 

Wealth  and  dollars  vanish, 
Riches  rise  and  wane, 


288  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

But  unselfish  service 
Cannot  be  in  vain. 
Selfishness  shall  never 
Make  our  love  grow  cold, 
Christ's  "well  done"  is  better 
Than  a  world  of  gold.  —  Chorus. 

Onward  then,  ye  people, 
Join  our  earnest  throng, 
Helping  right  to  triumph, 
Overcoming  wrong ; 
This  the  only  tribute 
Welcomed  by  our  King, 
May  we  give  the  weary 
Grateful  songs  to  sing.  —  Chorus. 


HYMN 

Go  forward,  Christ's  explorer, 
His  strength  shall  make  you  bold ; 
Through  deadly,  torrid  jungles 
To  polar  regions  cold. 
Wherever  on  this  planet 
The  feet  of  men  have  trod, 
Your  brothers  must  be  followed 
With  Christ's  good  news  from  God. 

Go  forward,  Christ's  explorer, 
Seek  honest  men  and  strong 
Who  love  the  ways  of  honor 
And  hate  the  deeds  of  wrong ; 
Make  them  the  valiant  leaders, 
Support  them  in  their  search 
For  every  hidden  weakness 
In  Nation  and  in  Church. 


MANOACH  289 

Go  forward,  Christ's  explorer, 
God's  love  for  every  age 
Is  writ  in  golden  letters 
Upon  the  sacred  page. 
The  reverent,  fearless  scholar 
Who  comes  with  open  mind 
Through  God's  own  Spirit's  guidance 
The  truth  divine  shall  find. 

Go  forward,  Christ's  explorer, 
Scan  well  the  life  within, 
Trace  back  each  sinful  motive, 
Cast  out  each  secret  sin. 
Then  throw  life's  gates  wide  open 
To  Christ  the  Light  of  Light ; 
His  truth  is  perfect  freedom, 
His  grace  is  holy  might. 

HYMN 

Stand  up,  stand  up,  for  Jesus, 
Ye  thinkers  true  and  brave, 
Face  every  problem  frankly, 
The  truth  alone  can  save. 
The  false  must  be  rejected 
By  students  free  and  bold 
Till  every  lie  is  vanquished 
And  Christ's  full  truth  is  told. 

Stand  up,  stand  up,  for  Jesus, 
The  Conscience  call  obey, 
For  error's  blinding  darkness 
Obscures  the  light  of  day. 
Men  wander,  lost  in  error, 
Their  minds  with  doubts  are  rife, 
Show  them  God's  light  in  Jesus, 
The  Way,  the  Truth,  the  Life. 


290  FRANKLIN   SPENCER   SPALDING 

Stand  up,  stand  up,  for  Jesus, 
Though  long  and  dark  the  night, 
The  sun  of  truth  shall  brighten 
The  whole  wide  world  with  light. 
And  those  who  struggle  bravely 
The  path  of  truth  to  trace, 
In  God's  good  time  shall  know  Him 
And  worship  face  to  face. 

To  His  Mother 

Sept.  6,  1914. 
The  Dean  preached  a  good  sermon. 

He  has  been  reading  Rauschenbusch  and  while  he  agrees  with 
it  he  wanted  also  to  show  that  the  Church  has  always  stood  for 
social  righteousness  in  some  sense.  He  told  about  Hildebrand 
and  other  really  great  champions  of  the  rights  of  the  people. 
What  he  said  I  suppose  is  true  in  a  sense,  but  somehow  I  can't 
feel  quite  the  need  of  always  apologizing  for  the  Church. 

The  sermon  went  very  well  and  though  of  course  many  people 
didn't  agree  with  me  I  think  I  "spoke  the  truth  in  love."  The 
Church  was  crowded,  many  standing  up.  I'm  off  to  Tooele  to 
speak  on  Peace.  They  asked  me  to  make  a  Socialist  speech  but 
I  said  it  would  be  a  serious  mistake  if  I  was  to  speak  for  Socialism 
when  there  is  a  political  campaign  on.  If  I  became  a  mere  par- 
tisan I  lose  all  chance  of  getting  a  hearing  as  a  candid  student. 
So  I'm  going  to  speak  on  the  "Moral  and  Economic  Waste  of 
War." 

Sept.  7,  1914. 

What  a  comfort  it  is  to  be  able  to  pray  for  people.  I  suppose 
if  we  had  more  faith  we  would  not  want  to  do  any  thing  else,  or, 
I  mean,  wouldn't  think  we  could  do  anything  more. 

I  don't  think  I  agree  with  you  in  always  using  the  Prayer  Book 
words  if  possible.  Though  that  may  make  us  appreciate  the 
values  in  the  Prayer  Book  it  does  seem  to  me  that  getting  away 
from  the  old  words  and  their  old  connections  makes  the  present 
need  more  real  and  vivid. 


MANOACH  291 

Sept.  9,  1914. 

Rowland  Hall  opened  to-day  with  a  good  lot  of  pupils  old  and 
new.     The  new  teachers  seem  all  right  and  A.  looks  capable. 

Do  you  know  it  has  cost  over  and  above  the  receipts  $6516  to 
keep  Rowland  Hall  going.  This  year  repairs  and  improvements 
amount  to  $2574.33  of  it,  but  it  is  a  question  in  my  mind  whether 

it  pays.     Schools  like  Miss  M 's  have  raised  the  salaries  of 

teachers  and  the  standard  of  what  a  teacher  can  be  expected  to  do. 

Salt  Lake,  Sept.  10,  1914. 
Mrs.  W.  W.  R.  took  me  auto  riding  with  Prof.  Clay  of  Yale, 
who  lectured  before  the  Archeological  Society.  Prof.  Clay  is 
much  interested  in  the  "Book  of  Abraham."  He  suggests  that 
we  draw  up  a  set  of  questions  on  the  Mormon  Literature  and 
submit  it  to  scholars  of  the  world.  He  says  he  knows  lots  of 
them  at  home  and  abroad  and  that  he  will  help.  He  thinks  he 
can  get  seventy-five  opinions  himself.  I  don't  know  whether  it 
is  a  good  plan  or  not.  Would  my  mother  believe  that  Moses 
didn't  write  the  Pentateuch  if  seventy-five  scholars  said  he  didn't? 

Sept.  11. 

I  had  three  weddings  yesterday  and  got  in  fees  $35.  I  did 
need  it  too  because  I  agreed  to  help  pay  for  the  Labor  Service 
program  and  also  for  a  G.  F.  S.  girl  who  had  to  go  to  the  hos- 
pital. I  think  the  Dean  and  Mr.  Reese  were  very  good  to  let 
me  in. 

My  schedule  for  September  is  as  follows :  Garfield,  Park 
City,  Eureka,  Provo,  Logan,  Salt  Lake. 

Rev.  J.  C.  Mitchell,  whom  I  knew  in  the  Seminary,  is  coming 
to  Salt  Lake  for  six  weeks  or  more  and  give  us  his  services.  Per- 
haps he  will  go  with  me  up  to  the  Uintah  Country  and  visit  the 
Indians. 

Sep.  14,  1914. 

I've  been  asked  to  speak  to  the  University  of  Minnesota  in 
the  Andrew  Presbyterian  Church  if  I  go.     That  is  getting  off 


292  FRANKLIN   SPENCER    SPALDING 

the  speaking  end  easy  and  I've  accepted.     I  like  to  speak  to 

students. 

Sep.  22. 

I'm  off  to  Provo  and  Eureka  to-morrow  a.m.  to  see  the  parsons 
and  lecture  on  war.  Still  in  doubt  about  the  special  meeting  of 
the  House  of  Bishops  in  Minneapolis.  Just  had  a  letter  from 
Williams  of  Michigan.  He  expects  to  be  there.  It  makes  me 
really  want  to  go  —  to  see  all  the  old  friends. 

I'm  trying  to  write  an  article  for  the  Christian  Socialist  to  make 
the  rich  understand  the  poor  and  the  poor  the  rich.  It's  a  hard 
job,  but  it's  interesting. 

Sep.  24,  1914.     D.  &  R.  G.  R.R. 

I'm  on  my  way  from  Eureka  to  Provo.  I  wanted  to  see  how 
the  Rices  were  getting  on  at  Eureka.  And  then  there  was  last 
week  an  awful  accident  at  Eureka,  12  men  were  caved  in  the  1600 
ft.  level  of  the  Centennial  Eureka  mine.  One  was  rescued,  five 
bodies  have  been  recovered  but  six  bodies  are  still  under  tons 
of  earth  and  timber  and  rock.  Four  of  the  dead  men  belong  to 
our  church.  I  attended  a  meeting  of  all  the  citizens  to  find  out 
the  sentiment  as  to  whether  a  decent  respect  for  the  dead  re- 
quired all  the  mines  to  shut  down  until  the  rest  of  the  bodies 
were  recovered.  It  was  decided,  I  thought  most  wisely,  that  the 
work  should  go  on  because  the  living  needed  the  wages.  The 
Secretary  of  the  Union  told  me  that  conditions  were  so  dangerous 
where  the  bodies  were,  that,  as  he  expressed  it,  "  a  man's  life  wasn't 
worth  fifteen  cents."  And  yet  500  men  have  volunteered  to 
work  there.  Only  one  man  can  work  at  a  time,  as  soon  as  he 
is  tired  another  relieves  him.  I  delivered  my  lecture  on  "peace" 
and  the  church  was  full.  I  hope  to  speak  on  "Peace"  again  to- 
night in  Provo.  Jones  is  certainly  taking  hold  splendidly  in 
Salt  Lake. 

I'm  working  on  an  article  I  promised  long  time  ago  for  the 
"Christian  Socialists."  No  certainty  yet  about  the  House  of 
Bishops.  I  suppose  it  will  be  decided  to-morrow.  I  think  it 
will  be  grand  to  have  a  baby  in  the  house  because  I've  always 


MANOACH  293 

loved  babies.     I  hope  you  are  having  as  lovely  weather  as  we 
are,  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky.     Best  love  to  all. 

With  these  words  of  sympathy  for  men  who  toil  and 
admiration  for  their  industrial  heroism,  with  hope  of  world 
peace,  with  joyful  anticipation  of  the  new  life  which  was  to 
come  to  his  friends  and  with  best  love  to  his  dearest  mother 
and  sisters,  this  radiant  spirit,  in  the  fraction  of  a  second, 
passed  from  life  into  the  light  eternal. 

Bishop  Spalding  left  his  house  at  nine  in  the  evening,  to 
post  this  letter  and  others  in  the  mail  box  at  the  corner  of  E 
Street  and  South  Temple.  As  he  stepped  into  South  Temple 
Street  an  automobile  came  down  the  grade  at  high  speed. 
Beyond  any  doubt  he  saw  it  coming.  It  was  on  the  wrong 
side  of  the  street,  its  right  wheels  in  the  left  car  tracks. 
The  Bishop  apparently  expected  the  machine  to  pass  in 
front  of  him,  where  it  had  two-thirds  of  the  broad  avenue. 
The  driver,  on  the  other  hand,  apparently  judging  that  he 
would  just  about  cross  over  before  she  reached  him,  turned 
the  machine  a  little  to  the  left.  Athlete  though  he  was  and 
quick  as  a  tiger  on  his  feet,  so  great  was  the  speed  of  the  car 
that  he  was  unable  to  escape  it.  It  struck  him  and  crashed 
into  the  steel  electric  pole  with  such  terrific  impact  that 
it  indented  it  an  inch  and  more.  He  was  instantly  killed. 
At  the  steering  wheel  was  a  girl  of  eighteen  years,  who  bore 
an  unenviable  reputation  in  Salt  Lake  as  a  reckless  driver. 
The  editors  of  all  the  newspapers  next  day  cried  out  for 
"something  to  prevent  huge  machines,  with  their  throbbing 
engines  driving  them  on  as  agencies  of  death,  rushed  over 
the  people's  streets  at  'most  any  rate  of  speed  their  drivers 
desire,  driven  by  girls  who  go  into  hysterics  at  the  thought 
of  a  mouse  or  faint  at  the  sight  of  a  bleeding  finger  and  who 
yet  take  chances  of  facing  a  situation  that  would  try  the 


294  FRANKLIN    SPENCER    SPALDING 

nerve  of  a  stout-hearted  man.  They  love  the  sport,  and 
they  wouldn't  purposely  hurt  any  one  for  their  lives." 
Whether  it  is  folly  or  criminal  intent,  the  effect  is  frequently 
the  same. 

Two  days  later  his  comrades  in  the  ministry  stood  beside 
his  silent  form  in  St.  Mark's  Cathedral,  and  a  steady  line 
of  people  of  every  race  and  creed  passed  by.  In  a  church 
filled  to  the  sidewalk  with  Gentiles  and  Mormons,  working- 
men  and  employers,  rich  and  poor,  Paul  Jones,  Dean  Colla- 
day,  and  Bishop  Thomas,  who  hurried  from  Wyoming  on 
receipt  of  the  sad  news  of  the  death  of  his  friend,  read  the 
burial  service  and  the  combined  choirs  of  St.  Mark's  and 
St.  Paul's  sang : 

The  Strife  is  o'er,  the  battle  done, 
The  victory  of  Life  is  won. 

His  clergymen  carried  their  leader  to  the  station  and 
aboard  the  private  car,  which  the  very  men  who  had  with- 
drawn the  railroad  pass  magnanimously  furnished  to  take 
the  body  to  Denver.  There,  in  the  city  of  his  youth,  the 
coffin  was  borne  to  the  Cathedral  on  the  shoulders  of  young 
business  men,  some  of  whom  had  been  the  companions 
of  his  boyhood  and  who  loved  him  in  his  manhood.  The 
service  was  read  by  Dean  Hart,  Bishop  Paddock  of 
Western  Oregon,  Bishop  Brewster  of  Western  Colorado, 
Bishop  Thomas  of  Wyoming,  and  Bishop  Williams  of 
Nebraska.  And  there  in  the  Cathedral  were  his  sisters, 
his  brother  and  his  beloved  mother,  strengthened  to  face 
the  terrible  ordeal  by  faith  in  the  Providence  whose  ways 
she  sought  in  vain  to  understand.  Amid  the  crash  of  thunder 
and  flash  of  lightning  they  carried  him  to  Riverside  Ceme- 
tery and  laid  his  body  beside  that  of  his  father. 

In  the  passing  of  Frank  Spalding  America  realized  that 


MANOACH  295 

she  had  lost  a  great  son.  "With  a  very  clear  mind,  great 
power  of  analysis,  an  admirable  ability  to  state  his  posi- 
tion in  lucid  language,"  said  the  '  Outlook '  of  New  York, 
"Bishop  Spalding  was  a  notable  figure  on  every  occasion 
when  he  was  present  and  in  every  assembly  in  which  he 
took  part."  '  Collier's  Weekly  '  headed  an  appreciative  edi- 
torial with  the  title,  "A  Man  who  Understood."  In  the 
Princeton  '  Alumni  Weekly  '  he  was  called  "one  of  the  most 
useful  sons  of  Princeton."  ' The  Survey'  recognized  Bishop 
Spalding  as  the  champion  of  the  poor.  Glowing  tributes 
and  appreciations  appeared  in  the  Church  and  Socialist 
press  throughout  the  country,  from  the  pens  of  many  men 
and  women  who  were  irresistibly  moved  to  give  utterance 
to  their  admiration  in  prose  and  verse  or  tell  of  some  ex- 
perience they  had  had  with  him.  'The  Living  Church,' 
which  had  hesitatingly  endorsed  his  election  as  bishop, 
declared  him  "one  of  the  most  lovable  of  men."  In  Salt 
Lake,  Erie  and  Denver  where  he  had  lived,  the  editors  of 
all  the  daily  papers  with  remarkable  penetration  and  insight 
gave  testimony  to  the  outstanding  qualities  of  the  man : 
his  great  sympathy  for  the  struggling  masses,  his  broad 
and  active  mind,  his  courage  to  fight  for  his  ideals,  his  out- 
spokenness and  fearlessness.  "He  would  have  been  a 
Gautier  or  St.  Bernard  eight  hundred  years  ago,  he  might 
have  been  a  Luther  three  hundred  years  ago,  for  his  high 
thoughts  were  always  backed  by  ample  if  unpretentious  cour- 
age." The  reality  and  beauty  of  his  religious  life  found  wit- 
nesses among  the  ministers  of  all  churches,  Roman  Catholic, 
Mormon,  Jewish  and  Protestant.  "Like  the  Master"  they 
all  declared,  "Our  souls  are  bowed  in  grief,  and  are  crying 
to  his  soul :  Knowest  thou  how  much  we  love  thee?" 
h  On  All  Saints'  Day,  Nov.  1,  1914,  two  thousand  people 
packed  Salt  Lake  Theater  for  a  service  in  commemoration  of 


296  FRANKLIN    SPENCER   SPALDING 

Bishop  Spalding.  The  Mormons  were  represented  among 
the  speakers  by  Hon.  Brigham  H.  Robert,  the  Socialists 
by  their  leader,  Mr.  William  M.  Knerr,  the  Churches  by 
Rev.  Elmer  L.  Goshen,  a  Congregational  minister,  and  the 
Professions  by  Dr.  E.  G.  Gowans.  The  theater  orchestra 
offered  its  services,  and  played  Handel's  "Largo"  and 
Meyerbeer's  "March  of  the  Prophets."  The  memorial 
address  was  given  by  Rt.  Rev.  Charles  D.  Williams,  the 
man  whom  Spalding  looked  eagerly  forward  to  meeting 
again  as  he  penned  one  of  his  last  letters.  "Franklin 
Spalding  was  my  nearest  friend  in  the  House  of  Bishops. 
He  was  to  me  a  tower  of  strength.  I  leaned  on  him,  I  got 
courage  from  him  to  try  to  do  in  my  smaller  way  the  things 
he  was  doing  so  splendidly  in  his  larger  way."  Such  was 
the  personal  testimony  of  one  great  soul  to  another.  With 
deep  insight  and  intimate  knowledge  Bishop  Williams,  in 
eloquent  and  telling  phrase,  told  of  Spalding's  tenderness 
and  gentleness  of  heart  as  well  as  of  his  manly  godliness 
and  mental  and  spiritual  virility.  A  unique  combination  of 
the  hero  and  the  saint,  he  called  him,  of  the  fiery  prophet  of 
righteousness  and  the  humble,  self-giving  servant  of  his 
fellows.  "The  sobs  of  Hosea  lay  behind  the  denunciation 
of  Amos.  He  was  the  prophet  of  the  conscience  and  heart 
alike."  "God  grant  that  we  all  may  catch  something  of 
his  spirit,  that  we  may  carry  on  his  work  and  stand  for  his 
cause  in  some  measure  as  he  did !" 

Elsewhere,  also,  the  noblest  spirits  of  the  Church  bore 
testimony  to  him.  "  He  was  the  manliest,  most  godly, 
knightly  soul  whom  I  have  ever  met,"  said  Bishop  Rowe  of 
Alaska.  "  The  uncompromising  character  of  his  righteous- 
ness and  its  naivete,"  wrote  Bishop  Brent  of  the  Philippines, 
"  made  his  manhood  a  beacon."  "  If  he  has  done  as  much 
for  the  people  of  Utah  as  he  has  for  those  of  us  who  have 


MANOACH  297 

tried  to  follow  him  at  a  distance,"  said  Bishop  Lawrence  of 
Massachusetts,  "  they  and  their  children  will  rise  up  and 
call  him  blessed.  Would  that  we  had  told  him  what  we 
thought  of  him.  We  did  not  know  that  he  would  go  so 
soon.     Perhaps  he  knows  now." 

So,  in  crowded  theater  and  cathedral,  and  in  the  columns 
of  the  daily  press  and  leading  weeklies  of  the  nation,  tes- 
timony was  borne  by  small  and  great  to  the  character  and 
accomplishments  of  Franklin  Spencer  Spalding.  But,  what 
may  be  a  more  enduring  tribute,  his  memory  was  treasured 
in  the  hearts  of  the  poor.  Atchee  is  a  small  railroad  town  on 
the  Uintah  Railway  in  Western  Colorado.  When  visiting, 
as  his  custom  was  three  times  a  year,  the  missions  in  the 
"Uintah  Country,"  Bishop  Spalding  would  usually  pur- 
posely stop  over  the  twenty-four  hours  until  the  next  train, 
and  not  only  hold  service,  but  call  on  every  family  in  the 
little  town,  baptizing  several  infants  and  making  himself  the 
friend  of  all,  whatever  their  religious  affiliations  or  antip- 
athies. Atchee  was  not  in  his  district  after  1907,  but  he 
knew  that  this  remote  region  could  rarely  be  visited  by  the 
Bishop  of  Western  Colorado.  When  the  news  of  his  death 
reached  Atchee  the  people  assembled  at  the  little  school, 
without  minister  or  other  leader.  One  woman  opened  the 
Prayer  Book,  and  with  broken  voice,  amid  the  half  sup- 
pressed sobs  of  men  and  women  as  they  knelt  about  her, 
she  read  the  burial  service. 

Of  heroic  mold,  with  a  spirit  brave  and  gentle ;  clean- 
cut  in  his  thinking  and  forceful  in  his  speech ;  with  a  heart 
that  beat  in  sympathy  with  all  who  suffered ;  with  the 
vision  of  an  economic  and  spiritual  order  wherein  the  wage 
earners  are  to  be  masters  of  nature  and  brothers  of  men, 
possessing  all  they  produce,  Franklin  Spencer  Spalding 
lived  in  his  time  and  place,  a  man  among  men  and  a  bishop 
such  as  we  shall  not  soon  see  the  like  again. 


THE  following  pages  contain  advertisements  of  a 
few  of  the  Macmillan  books  on  kindred  subjects. 


f^- 


Henry  Codman  Potter 

SEVENTH   BISHOP   OF   NEW  YORK 

By  GEORGE  HODGES 

Illustrated;  doth,  8vo,  $3.50 

"He  has  performed  a  labor  of  love  with  extraordinarily  pains- 
taking devotion  and  comprehensiveness.  The  book  is  one  worthy 
of  the  attention,  not  only  of  the  Episcopal  fellowship,  but  of  the 
people  of  the  city  of  New  York,  to  whose  advancement  in  all 
that  is  good  Henry  Codman  Potter  devoted  the  best  years  of  a 
tremendously  useful  life."  —  New  York  Evening  Post. 

"An  admirable  portrait  of  a  great  churchman  who  figured  prom- 
inently in  the  history  of  the  nation  and  whose  life  and  labors  are 
of  interest  to  all  thinking  people."  —  San  Francisco  Bulletin. 

"His  biography  makes  excellent  good  reading  throughout 
its  381  pages.  ...  In  this,  as  in  his  other  works,  Dean  Hodges 
is  scholarly,  clear  and  direct.  His  personality  is  obtruded  just 
enough  to  reveal  sympathy  with  his  subject  and  appreciation  for 
dramatic  and  picturesque  episodes."  —  Chicago  Evening  Post. 

"Dean  Hodges'  biography  is  a  delightful  piece  of  work  which 
will  be  enjoyed  by  those  outside  his  own  communion  as  well  as 
by  churchmen."  —  New  York  Herald. 

"Dean  Hodges'  biography  is  a  fine  monument  to  a  church- 
man of  whom  his  city  and  country  are  justly  proud."  —  Nation. 

"His  work  is  interesting  not  only  as  the  biography  of  one  of 
the  foremost  men  of  our  day,  but  as  a  valuable  document  in  the 
history  of  the  Episcopal  Church."  —  Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 

"Here  is  a  biography  which  with  exceptional  completeness 
fills  the  place  of  autobiography.  The  subject  of  it  could  not 
himself  have  been  more  sympathetic  toward  his  work  as  church- 
man and  citizen.  ...  He  writes  of  his  subject  with  fine  blend- 
ing of  moderation  and  earnestness,  a  just  balancing  of  judicial 
restraint  and  aggressive  zeal.  ...  A  volume  which  is  interest- 
ing to  read  as  a  narrative  and  which  is  of  inestimable  value  for 
information  and  for  reference."  —  New  York  Tribune. 


THE    MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

Publishers  64-66  Fifth  Avenue  New  York 


The  Three  Religious  Leaders  of  Oxford  and  Their 

Movements :  John  Wycliffe,  John  Wesley, 

and  John  Henry  Newman 

By  S.   PARKES  CADMAN  8vo,  $2.50 

"It  is  a  valuable  addition  to  the  library  of  the  student,  and 
its  treatment  of  these  three  leaders  is  both  a  scholarly  and  an 
impartial  interpretation  of  them  and  their  times." — Outlook. 

"Dr.  Cadman  .is  something  more  than  an  annalist,  who 
searches  archives  and  surfeits  his  readers  with  a  mass  of  docu- 
mentary evidence.  He  sets  his  three  great  leaders  in  the  midst 
of  their  times;  and  we  see  them,  not  as  20th  century  figures, 
but  as  they  who  knew  them  in  the  flesh  saw  them  and  felt  their 
influence.  One  is  not  compelled  to  wade  through  a  great  mass 
of  irrelevant  material  to  get  at  the  heart  of  these  movements, 
as  the  first  hand  student  must  do  who  would  read  Wesley's 
Journals,  Newman's  'Apologia,'  'Tracts  and  Sermons,'  and 
the  exhaustive  story  of  the  Lollard  movement.  Moreover,  it 
is  helpful  to  have  the  secret  and  the  philosophy  of  these  move- 
ments stated  by  a  painstaking  student  whose  spiritual  and  his- 
torical sense  and  discernment  have  raised  him  to  primacy  among 
American  preachers."  — Boston  Herald. 

"Dr.  Cadman  has  written  with  great  breadth  and  acumen. 
The  work  has  been  done  in  a  thorough  and  scholarly  way,  which 
will  make  his  book  of  importance  in  social,  as  well  as  in  church 
history."  —  Boston  Advertiser. 

"A  volume  which  for  scholarly  workmanship,  for  discriminating 
insight  and  estimate,  as  well  as  for  literary  grace  and  finish,  has 
few  to  match  it  in  recent  religious  literature." — Chicago  Herald. 

"They  will  refresh  the  heart  of  those  who  would  believe  in 
the  possibility  of  human  progress,  and  they  will  preach  patience 
to  those  who  wonder  at  the  long  delay  of  the  commonwealth  of 
the  spirit."  —  New  York  Tribune. 

"The  book  is  testimony  to  an  informing  and  constructive  spirit 
of  Christianity  in  the  writer.  The  audiences,  to  whom  these 
studies  were  originally  addressed,  are  to  be  congratulated.  Pop- 
ular exposition,  of  such  a  high  level,  and  of  so  scholarly  and  cath- 
olic a  spirit,  is  rare  in  this  country."  —  Dial. 

"The  style  is  dignified  and  straightforward,  without  undue 
ornament,  yet  not  dull."  —  Nation. 


THE   MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

Publishers  64-66  Fifth  Avenue  New  York 


The  Life  of  Clara  Barton 

By   PERCY  H.   EPLER 

Decorated  doth,  illustrated,  $2.50 

'The  Life  of  Clara  Barton'  in  its  utilizing  of  original  material, 
in  its  orderly  sequence  and  telling  use  of  incident  and  conver- 
sation, and  in  its  insight  into  character,  is  a  volume  well  fitted 
to  convey  to  the  public  mind  the  story  of  one  whom  the  world 
'delighted  to  honor.'"  —  Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 

"A  fitting  memorial  to  one  of  the  world's  great  women."  — 
New  York  Globe. 

"An  inspiring  and  interesting  account  of  a  noble  life  devoted 
to  the  service  of  humanity  —  the  life  of  a  woman  whom  General 
Nelson  A.  Miles  has  proclaimed  '  the  greatest  humanitarian  the 
world  has  ever  known,'  and  who  during  the  Civil  War  held  a 
place  in  the  hearts  of  our  soldiers  similar  to  that  of  Florence 
Nightingale  in  those  of  the  men  who  fought  in  the  Crimea."  — 
New  York  Herald. 

"A  memorable,  intensely  interesting  biography  of  one  of  the 
great  women  of  yesterday."  —  Bookseller,  Newsdealer  and 
Stationer. 

"The  life  of  Clara  Barton  is  a  human  document  of  the  utmost 
importance  and  interest,  and  it  is  this  human  story  that  is  now 
given  to  the  public."  —  Chicago  Evening  Post. 

"Infinite  details  of  unbounded  interest  crowd  one  on  top  of 
another.  .  .  .  Her  biography  is  one  of  both  personal  and  his- 
toric interest."  —  Boston  Transcript. 

'The  narrative  is  complete,  exhaustive  —  a  portrait  painted 
full  length."  —  Philadelphia  North  American. 

'Tears  flow  unbidden  at  scenes  depicting  Miss  Barton  tend- 
ing the  sick  and  wounded,  feeding  the  hungry  in  the  open  fields 
wHh  shells  bursting  all  around  her,  but  the  heart  glows  with 
pride  at  the  courage  of  this  frail  little  woman  in  scenes  of  fright- 
ful tragedy."  —  Literary  Digest. 


THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

Publishers  64-66  Fifth  Avenue  New  York 


David  Livingstone 

By  C.   SILVESTER   HORNE 

New  edition,  i2tno,  illustrated,  $1.25 

"Mr.  Home  has  done  a  fine  service  in  presenting  the  charac- 
teristic and  strategic  facts  of  the  life  and  work  of  Livingstone 
and  of  his  character  and  his  service  to  humanity.  .  .  .  With 
fine  discrimination,  with  skill  in  dramatic  simplicity,  Mr.  Horne 
has  made  the  gFeat  hero  of  Africa  live  and  has  brought  into  bold 
relief  the  moral  qualities  and  lessons  of  his  life."  — Review  and 
Expositor. 

"We  doubt  if  the  story  could  be  told  more  stirringly  in  brief 
compass  than  it  is  in  Mr.  Home's  book.  By  clever  and  free 
use  of  Livingstone's  diaries  and  letters  he  is  made  to  tell  his  own 
story  in  large  part  —  and  a  wonderful  story  it  was,  of  devotion, 
sacrifice,  hardship,  persistence,  and  adventure,  through  many 
dangers  with  beasts  and  men."  —  The  Outlook. 

"A  very  good  biography.  Gives  in  small  compass  a  clear, 
simple  narrative  of  Livingstone's  adventurous  and  useful  life." 
—  New  York  Times. 

"His  vigorous  style  is  well  adapted  to  the  portrayal  of  a  life 
so  full  of  activity  and  courageous  undertaking  as  that  of  Living- 
stone." —  The  Independent. 

"Here  is  given  a  graphic  story  of  the  patience  and  knowledge 
of  human  nature  that  enabled  Livingstone,  without  any  aid,  to 
break  up  the  infamous  slave  trade  in  many  districts." — San 
Francisco  Chronicle. 

"Full  of  inspiration  and  information." — Philadelphia  Press. 


THE    MACMILLAN    COMPANY 

Publishers  64-66  Fifth  Avenue  New  York 


BRITTLE  DO  NOT 
PHOTOCOPY 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 


0046037721 


■'.■•■'■■'■'-' 


.-■:,'■:. 


'■'-■■'- 


msm, 


■     ■  ■ 


oHTs 


Br 


BUI 


.'Wv 


«MK 


^imf;f">^ 


■ 


mm 


ms 


111 

EEfAsHK 


